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Energy (in) efficiency: what tenants expect and endure in private renting (SHUSU)

The Private Rented Sector (PRS) is the fastest growing tenure in England. It houses a higher proportion of poor and vulnerable households than any other tenure. The sector also contains a higher proportion of the least energy-efficient properties than any other tenure. The need to drive up standards of energy performance in the PRS is therefore urgent.

There is a key voice missing from the debate about energy performance in the PRS: that of the tenant. Tenants are under-researched and underrepresented, lacking a collective voice due to the absence of organised groups representing them. Premised on the belief that, if we are to try and foster change from the ‘bottom up’, then we must seek to understand the tenants’ perspective, this presentation disseminates a study that explored: how tenants understand energy efficiency; how the absence of it affects them; their relationship with their landlord and the barriers they face in challenging the status quo.

Our ability to address these questions was limited by the dearth of previous research seeking to understand the tenants’ perspective. Drawing on 48 in-depth interviews with tenants in Hackney and Rotherham, this study represents a decisive step towards a stronger voice for tenants in the debate about energy efficiency in the PRS.

Speaker

Dr Aimee Ambrose is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, a policy research centre operating from Sheffield Hallam University. During her seven years in this role, Aimee has worked on a diverse range of research projects in the fields of environmental sustainability, housing, energy, immigration, welfare reform and the voluntary and community sector. Aimee has a particular interest in the related areas of energy policy, energy infrastructure, sustainable housing and housing modernisation and has authored many peer reviewed publications on these topics. Since 2012 Aimee has acted as an Expert Advisor to the International Energy Agency in relation to Demand Side Management and changing energy behaviour.

Organised by Sustainable Housing & Urban Studies Unit (SHUSU)

Register for your (free) ticket via Eventbrite.

 

Event Details

Location Mary Seacole Building (salford University)
Salford, M6 6PU
Start Thursday 7 Jun 2018 2:00pm
Finish Thursday 7 Jun 2018 3:30pm


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