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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number	ES/M001946/2
Title	Understanding and responding to the health impact of cold homes and fuel poverty
Status	Completed
Energy Categories	Energy Efficiency(Residential and commercial) 50%; Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research(Environmental, social and economic impacts) 50%;
Research Types	Basic and strategic applied research 100%
Science and Technology Fields	OTHER 25%; SOCIAL SCIENCES (Sociology) 25%; ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Architecture and the Built Environment) 50%;
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation	Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Policy and regulation) 50%; Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Consumer attitudes and behaviour) 50%;
Principal Investigator	Ms A Tod No email address given Nursing and Midwifery University of Sheffield
Award Type	Standard
Funding Source	ESRC
Start Date	01 December 2015
End Date	31 July 2018
Duration	32 months
Total Grant Value	£17,044
Industrial Sectors
Region	Yorkshire & Humberside
Programme	Grants
Investigators	Principal Investigator	Ms A Tod , Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sheffield (99.997%)
	Other Investigator	Mrs C V Homer , Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, Sheffield Hallam University (0.001%) Ms JM Gilbertson , Faculty of Development and Society, Sheffield Hallam University (0.001%) Professor C Liddell , Sch of Psychology, University of Ulster (0.001%)
	Industrial Collaborator	Project Contact , CSE (0.000%) Project Contact , Race Equality Foundation (0.000%) Project Contact , UK Health Forum (0.000%) Project Contact , City of Doncaster Council (0.000%)
Web Site
Objectives	This seminar series aims to:1. create a platform for sustainable research in the area of the health impact of cold homes and fuel poverty: policy and human behaviour2. enhance understanding of the multiple pathways by which cold homes :o generate fuel povertyo affect people's behaviours at homeo increase risks across a wide variety of illnesses and accidentso constrain fundamental lifestyle choiceso impact upon human health and mental well-being.3. systematically review current evidence, identify evidence gaps and set out priorities for future research. The series will explicitly consider the influence of social and health inequalities, and maintain a focus on policy influences, impacts and interventions.4. consolidate existing academic knowledge and in so doing, to forge new inter-disciplinary discussions and collaborations.5. build capacity building by including postgraduate students and early career researchers.6. develop new interconnections between academic disciplines, across government departments, and key stakeholders from NGO's, local authorities, voluntary bodies, and private sector organisations.7. ensure early dissemination and impact of project learning and outputs.8. support sustainability of research endeavour9. promote research capacity building in terms of knowledge, outputs and collaborations.
Abstract	This seminar series aims to generate understanding of the contribution of human behaviour regarding cold homes, fuel poverty and their impact on health by reviewing current evidence, identify evidence gaps and priorities for future research. It will explicitly consider the influence of social and health inequalities, maintain a focus on policy influences, impact and interventions. It aims to add to existing academic knowledge and forge new inter-disciplinary discussions and collaborations. Research is required to generate understanding of the human responses and experience that may place people at risk of fuel poverty, and influence their decision making regarding home heating in terms of heating behaviour, as well as in seeking help and knowledge. It is essential that this inquiry seeks to explain how inequality and wider structural determinents influence human behaviour regarding cold homes and fuel poverty, as well as the more subtle influences of culture, social norms, beliefs, attitudes and values.This ESRC seminar series builds on two previous events, an Evidence Summit on health, fuel poverty and cold homes was held by the UK Health Forum, Friends of the Earth and Energy Bill Revolution ( UK Health Forum 2013) and second an International roundtable discussion on health and wellbeing impacts of energy efficiency run by the International Energy Agency (IEA, 2013). The applicants of this ESRC application participated in both events and will build on them by taking a cross-sectoral, interdisciplinary approach and taking health and human behavioour as the focus. The seminars ensure cumulative rather than on-off debate and are unique in adopting an emphasis on policy development, intervention and implementation. We will review existing evidence incuding, economic evaluations, identify and adddress evidence gaps, and develop partnerships, questions and proposals for future policy implemetnation and research. The seminar programme is UK led, and will include contributions from across Europe and beyond through the WHO Global Network of Age Friendly Cities, Healthy Cities Network and the International Energy Agency. This will support collaborations for Horizon 2020.The seminar series brings together a unique partnership of academic, local and national government, charitable and voluntary sector partners. It will add to existing body of academic knowledge and help to forge new inter-disciplinary discussions, theoretical propositions and research collaborations. Interconnections will be explored between academic disciplines, cross government departments and organisations and cross sector. As the seminar series is focused upon the behaviour and vulnerability of high risk groups early dissemination and impact is vital and interim dissemination methods will be adopted via the project website and briefing papers.The seminars will adopt a lifecourse approach in the first year and look at vulnerability to cold across ages. Seminars in the second year willfocus on specific vulnerable groups where little research has been conducted and there are existing social and health inequalities, these are Black and Minorty Ethnic (BME) groups, the rural poor and the socially isolatated. In the final year the focus will be on understanding the current policy enviroment, global and national influences regarding the implications for future evidence based policy.The seminars will be one day events targeted at 30 people. The morning will consist of presentations followed by structured round table discussions in the afternoon. The final event will be in the form of a mini-conference of up to 100 people to pull together learning from accross the seminar series, agree recommendations and outputs including publications and future research collaborations and projects. All contributers are coonfirmed unless stated.
Publications	(none)
Final Report	(none)
Added to Database	03/01/18