Helping people live independently for longer with ‘Homes for Living’

Through our work and expertise installing energy efficiency solutions in households across the UK, we have unique access to different groups of customers. And as part of our commitment to improving homes across the UK, we recently completed a three-year programme, ‘Homes for Living’, which helped older people live independently in their homes for longer.

Over the course of three years, we installed 5,000 home solutions – including stair supports, cooking safety and AI products – in 2,500 homes across England and Wales to help residents remain mobile and independent at home.

We caught up with Ceri Roberts, Strategic Innovation Manager at E.ON UK, who led the Homes for Living programme, to find out more about the programme and the positive impact it delivered.

What is E.ON’s Homes for Living programme?

The Homes for Living programme aimed to help people continue to live independently for as long as possible in the comfort of their own home. The programme built on E.ON’s existing offer of free or part-funded energy efficiency solutions, such as insulation and air source heat pumps, to help keep people warm and comfortable at home.

Through Homes for Living, we helped thousands of older people live independently for longer and increased their quality of life by installing home adaptations for those in need. We offered a variety of home adaptions to tackle issues surrounding mobility, safety and loneliness. For example, we offered:

• Mobility and stair support, including a StairSteady, shower seats and dual-purpose grab rails, which helped residents move safely around their home while still allowing them to use their upper and lower body.
• Cooking safety AI products which sound an alert if food is about to burn or if the hob has been left unattended.
• An Amazon Echo to facilitate staying in contact with loved ones and to also helped people connect to vital digital services.
• A Fitbit to encourage people to meet achievable fitness goals and feel a sense of accomplishment every day.

How did Homes for Living come about?

Homes for Living was initially born out of the opportunity to support the UN’s decade of Healthy Ageing collaborative, with E.ON’s Homes for Living being one of the six trailblazer projects.

There are so many people, particularly older people, who end up in hospital after incidents at home, particularly falls. Those falls can be especially damaging, not just physically but mentally too and often create an unhealthy ripple effect, leading to other conditions. In some unfortunate cases, people don’t recover at all. At E.ON, we wanted to look at ways we could support this vulnerable group, over and above supporting with their energy needs.

The model for the Homes for Living programme came from having a good understanding of the ageing demographic as my studies and early career were focused on Health and Social Care, including working in residential care and with multidisciplinary teams at the local hospital.

I’m also pleased to say my own grandparents helped inspire the programme. My grandparents lived to be in their 90s and I grew up seeing them remain active, healthy, connected to their community and ultimately living a full and healthy life.

Having such a background really helped me realise the opportunity that presented itself. As a company, we’re in vulnerable people’s homes every day fitting energy efficiency measures. We identified an opportunity to fill some of the gaps that our health and social services desperately need.

How did the programme work?

We carried out initial research to fully understand the core problem for our ageing population, allowing us to identify the solutions that would be most beneficial to residents. We consulted with public health directors and social care and health teams to help us deliver the most impact to people. Our team also spent thousands of hours on calls with customers to capture their health information and worked with them to understand their needs.

We also worked with Newcastle University to evaluate the effectiveness of the solutions on offer and adapt these throughout the programme, delivering these to eligible customers over the course of three years.

What are the main benefits the programme has delivered for residents?

Over the three years of the Homes for Living programme, we installed more than 5,000 home solutions to 2,500 homes across England and Wales. And I’m delighted to say that the benefits of the programme have far surpassed what we expected the programme to deliver.

The stats truly speak for themselves. Following the Homes for Living programme, there was a 50% reduction in the levels of loneliness from people who had previously reported being lonely and 14% of those who were previously completely dependent on loved ones and services are now living independently at home. Going to the toilet has also become easier for 92% of people which will help reduce the likelihood of developing urinary tract infections.

The feedback we received from customers has been amazing. A gentleman said that he was suffering with his mental health because of being diagnosed with MS. Since having the products fitted, especially the Amazon Echo, he now joins an online MS group where they are helping people who have just been diagnosed.

And an older couple who were living in the downstairs of their property because they couldn’t get up and down the stairs can now sleep in the same bed, upstairs as a couple. It’s lovely to know that they can now enjoy their whole home again.

Additionally, customers reported that their loved ones could now visit thanks to having the home adaptions fitted in their home. And customers who had serious mental health concerns have reported to have a purpose in life again and were no longer feeling depressed.

What do you think makes this programme is so special?

This programme has resonated with so many people, with colleagues from across the business sharing their personal stories with me. One of our colleagues at E.ON referred her mother-in-law, who was undergoing chemotherapy treatment, to the programme as the family was deeply concerned about her safety at home. Her mother-in-law has since had a StairSteady fitted in her home which has alleviated so much stress and pressure for both her and her family.

I think that’s what makes this programme connect with so many people. It also supports younger generations who are taking on extra responsibilities to care for their loved ones, even when they’re juggling working, managing their own home life and their personal commitments. Unfortunately, in some cases, people are giving up careers or working part time to take on a caring role. But this programme promotes independence from all angles, removes the stigma associated with ageing and gives people the confidence to live a fulfilling life independently for longer.

What have been your key highlights from leading this programme?

Changing people’s lives is definitely at the top of the list. Going to sleep at night knowing that we have helped people to thrive at home, with only some minor changes to their home.

For me this offer isn’t rocket science. It’s about joining solutions together in the right way, working across boundaries and adjusting as needed so we continue to meet the ever-changing needs of society.

It hasn’t been an easy programme to deliver but it has taught us so much and we’ve succeeded because of it. I’ve loved being involved from concept through to delivery and then the evaluation. Watching an idea grow, even when you are faced with some really big challenges like Covid, and seeing the output be so positive has truly been a rewarding experience.

Where can people go to find out more?

If you’d like to find out more about E.ON’s Homes for Living programme, including more details on the home adaptations offered, please visit eonenergy.com/homes-for-living. And if you’re interested in the energy efficiency grants that E.ON offers, check out our grants and funding webpage.

And for any of our E.ON Next customers who are struggling with their energy bills, we have a range of support available so get in touch.