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NCH/Nottingham Trent University decent homes impact study

We’re working with experts from Nottingham Trent University’s Business School to study the impact the Secure Warm Modern programme is having on your quality of life.

The Decent Homes Impact Study is a 'knowledge transfer partnership' with the university, and the project will provide the tools that will allow us to assess the social and economic impact of our work.

For example, we’re fitting thousands of 'secured-by-design' windows across the city - is this reducing the numbers of burglaries taking place across our estates and making you feel safer in your home? Is fitting new insulation in the houses of elderly people improving their health in the winter and, in doing so, saving money for the health services?

• You can download all our studies from the 'Useful links and documents' page on this section of our website. For more information on the project, call Alice Jones, Housing Investment Impact Analyst on 0115 915 7405 or e-mail: alice.jones@nottinghamcityhomes.org.uk

What we’ve found out

We have now produced the second of a number of reports outlining different aspects of the impact that decent homes work is having on our communities.

1 - Crime report

The Broxtowe and Bells Lane estates were some of the first areas to have all their single glazed windows replaced with double glazed 'secured by design' windows in 2008/09, as part of the Secure, Warm, Modern programme. The first part of the Decent Homes Impact Study has been to look at how this has affected the level of burglary on these estates, and found:

• Burglaries have reduced by 41% since the Secure work was completed, compared to a 21% reduction across the city as a whole
• There are now 62 fewer burglaries per year to NCH properties, compared to 33 fewer burglaries to non-NCH properties within the estates
• There is less burglary via a window to NCH properties where the new windows have been fitted. The level of burglaries that occur by forcing a window has halved since the windows were fitted
• Residents report that they feel safer in their homes since the windows were replaced. They also find that their home is warmer, has less condensation and is quieter
• Residents and officers working in the area have noticed a difference on the estates- it looks cleaner, better and makes the area feel like it is valued.

3. Energy efficiency and fuel poverty

The work completed so far on the SWM programme has decreased carbon emissions by 15,500 tonnes per year- equivalent to taking 2,700 vehicles off the road each year, or planting 360,000 tree seedlings and growing them for 10 years.

Making the homes more energy efficient also saves tenants on their fuel bills – up to £223 a year from fitting double–glazed windows and £225 a year from fitting A-rated boilers. Collectively, these measures could be saving our tenants up to £3.5m on their fuel bills each year.

However, our case study with tenants who have had the improvements in their homes shows that they may need more support and advice on how best to use the new installations, in order to see the maximum energy savings. This will inform NCH's future work.

3. Health and wellbeing

There are significant health inequalities in Nottingham, with a difference in life expectancy of 10 years between the most deprived and the most affluent areas within the city. Health outcomes tend to be worse in areas including council housing estates; however, research by Nottingham City Homes, Nottingham Business School and Nottingham City NHS has shown how investing in improving homes through the Decent Homes programme has contributed to improving both the physical and mental health and wellbeing of tenants, by making homes warmer and cheaper to heat, removing damp and mould, addressing hazards for accidents and falls, and improving security measures. It is estimated that the Secure, Warm, Modern programme could contribute to the following health outcomes:

• Save two lives a year by protecting vulnerable tenants from the cold
• Improve the respiratory health (e.g. asthma) of 1000 children
• Improve the mental health of over 1,000 tenants by relieving excess cold and fuel poverty
• Avoid 12 hospital admissions a year as a result of falls
• Prevent 144 accidents requiring medical attention
  

This helps to address health inequalities in Nottingham and is estimated to save Nottingham City NHS a minimum of £700,000 a year in treatment costs.

4 - Measuring customer satisfaction using the Vision Management system

As part of the KTP project, an evaluation of the customer satisfaction measures for Decent Homes was undertaken. The aim of the evaluation was to look at how customer satisfaction information is used to inform both strategic planning and day-to-day delivery of the Decent Homes programme, and its value to NCH and its contractor partners.