Stimulating demand for low energy homes – how are we doing?

The CIMCIG paper, 'The Commercial Value of Sustainability' (published in June 2010), was a call to action for the marketing and communications sector, arguing that much of the responsibility for increasing the uptake of 'green technologies' lay with construction industry marketing professionals. So how are we doing?

The research suggested a need for:

• In-depth research into homeowners' attitudes
• A scaling up of validated examples of homes refurbished to high energy efficiency standards
• Greater use of social networking and sharing of best practice case studies (via CPD, for example)
• Harnessing of trusted and authoritative consumer brands to lead the marketing
• Communication campaigns focused on the needs of consumers.

So how are we doing? Well, progress is being made and this article outlines some examples, but further debate is required and CIMCIG will play its part in helping to stimulate this.

Engaging the whole supply chain

For a significant impact to be made in the uptake of 'green technologies', marketing has to bring together all the key players in the supply chain so that the consumer is fully engaged. This means architects and designers, manufacturers, merchants and retailers, installers and end-users.

The commercial argument

In these straightened economic times, we cannot expect mass take-up of sustainable technologies for purely ecological reasons. But with escalating energy prices there are genuine economic arguments for consumers to do more to reduce their carbon consumption.

A good place to look for examples of marketing in this area are the various CERT-funded DIY insulation schemes. Having run for a couple of years, and with another 18 months to go, the marketing in this area has become more innovative and competitive. But it's interesting to note how the messages focus on the economic reasons for installing loft insulation rather than the ecological: 'save £145 per year', 'only £X per roll', 'free delivery'.

According to OFGEM, 66.3m sq meters (approximately 1.5m houses) have been supplied through CERT to the end of 2010. Which still leaves millions of properties to go. Watch this space for more creative marketing examples, as the CERT schemes compete with each other to attract the highest volume of DIYers at the lowest cost.

Social media

Social media is a perfect medium for stimulating debate, exchanging information and advice, and potentially reaching a far greater audience than more traditional communications channels. Ecobuild, for example, used blogs written by some of the industry's leading thinkers in the build up to the event to share views on key issues and latest news. From the DIY insulation market there are many examples of digital and social media techniques employed to generate interest and sales: 'how to install' videos on YouTube, SEO and PPC, promotion via Facebook, an ever-expanding number of DIY forums and blogs, and even moneysavingexpert.com.

What next?

The discussion continues. Clearly we need more examples of others to inspire us – the more installations of cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, photovoltaic panels, solar thermal panels, low-energy lighting, waste recycling and so on that we see around us, the more normal we'll consider this behaviour.

 

Author Andrew Cushing is a CIMCIG committee member and head of marketing at Wolseley.

 

Back to top