Progress reporting

So far, 41 projects around the country have received SEEC Programme funding from the 3 open funding rounds. A ‘funding boost’ was also granted to 5 existing projects to expand or restart their projects to deliver further energy education and support through autumn and winter 2022. As at 1 August 2023, 28 of the 41 SEEC-funded projects were complete.

Key figures

As of 1 August 2023:

• 18,903 households reached
• 121,692 LED lightbulbs distributed
• 28,678 other low-cost energy-saving items delivered
• 4,534 community events held
• 28 projects completed – some key insights from these projects are below

The table below provides a full breakdown of what has been delivered as at 1 August 2023.

Completed projects

28 projects are now complete. These are:

Round 1

• Anglican Care: Anglican Care Energy Poverty Programme (Funding Boost)
• Community Energy Action Charitable Trust: Love your Home
• Ecobulb with King Country Electric Power Trust: King Country Energy Hardship Reducing Pilot programme (Funding Boost)
• ERANZ: EnergyMate
• Habitat for Humanity – Northern Region: Winter Warmer Packs 2021
• Sustainability Options – Eastern Bay of Plenty 20 Degrees Energy Hardship Collaboration
• Sustainability Trust: Fair Energy
• Sustainable Taranaki: SAVE – Supporting Affordable adVice in Energy
• Te Pūtahi-nui-o-Rehua Charitable Trust: Te Hīhiko Ngāpuhi

Round 2

• Agape International Ministries: Pacific-power
• Community Energy Action: Love Your Home 2021/2022
• Ecobulb and Maru Trust: North King Country Energy Hardship Pilot (Funding Boost)
• Habitat for Humanity: Healthy and Energy Efficient Home Intervention programmes including Winter Warmer Pack Delivery (Funding Boost)
• Whare Ora Development Trust – Matekuare Whānau Trust: Marae Based Energy Education Programme
• Northpower: Energy Advice/Community Outreach Programme: lifting Northlanders out of energy hardship (Funding Boost)
• SEA - Sustainable Energy Advice: Home Energy Assessment Tool kits for community providers supporting hard-to-reach households
• SEED NZ: Whānau Power – we are the whānau we serve
• St Vincent de Paul, Hamilton Area Council: Vinnies Healthy Homes Programme Extension
• Sustainability Options: He Whare Mahana – He Whānau Ora
• Sustainability Options: Increasing energy wellbeing through minor repairs and education Western Bay of Plenty
• Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu – PUNA: Extending the Navigation approach through energy education and the supply of energy efficient products
• Waitara Initiatives Supporting Employment - Warmer Homes and Illness Prevention Installation Team (WHIPIT).

Round 3

• Ecobulb with Auckland Council: Auckland Council Home Energy Saver Pilot
• Ecobulb with Christchurch City Council and Orion New Zealand: Christchurch Home Energy Saver Pilot
• Ecobulb with Counties Energy Trust and Counties Energy: Counties Home Energy Saver Pilot
• Ecobulb with Whanganui District Council: Whanganui Home Energy Saver Pilot
• Habitat for Humanity – Northern Region: Healthy Homes Programme including Winter Warmer Packs – Auckland and Tai Tokerau
• Northpower: Home Energy Education Programme Extension.

Key programme insights

Early findings from 2022 indicate the SEEC Programme has enabled organisations to deliver a range of initiatives across the country, testing and developing them along the way. The funding approach has also allowed providers to adapt and adjust the way they deliver their projects.

This preliminary analysis identifies 3 key features that have led to projects successfully increasing the energy wellbeing of households.

Reaching communities that are over-represented in energy hardship

Building trust within communities and households can take time but is an important foundation to enable house visits.

Forming partnerships with community groups such as Māori community service providers and Pasifika churches have proven to be successful in reaching communities.

Projects that draw on tikanga Māori principles have been effective in reaching Māori

Marae-based initiatives and community events/hui have proved successful in
reaching a large number of households in a targeted community.

Designing and planning in way that enables flexible delivery

Most projects have found success in completing a mixture of personalised assessments (both in-home and through video calls) and community events/hui.

Providing free equipment such as blankets and heaters is an effective way to complement home education and increases the level of engagement of households.

Information and actions to support the advice are simple to understand and easy to do.

Providers utilised remote assessments (for example, video call) to manage the impact of COVID-19 on the ability to have face-to-face engagement with households.

Implementing actions that lead to energy savings for households

The following actions can each deliver significant average energy savings, ranging from $180 to $230 per year:

• more efficient heat pump use through cleaning filters
• installing LEDs
• installing an efficient shower head and taking one-minute shorter showers
• turning off second fridges, and
• switching electricity plans to a lower-cost option.

Small additions to the home such as curtains, draught stoppers, and appropriate seals also result in significant decreases in a household’s power bill and increase the ability of a home to retain heat.

Nearly half of recipients of one project had no source of heating before participating in the initiative.

Many of the whānau who participated in one of the initiatives lived in sub-standard housing such as tents and sheds. There is a need to take a broader, more holistic approach when engaging with vulnerable communities.