Bringing the voices of customers in vulnerable circumstances into your business can have a huge benefit for your organisation, teams and customers.
If you missed our recent online conversation on climate change and vulnerability here are the key insights from the lived experts who joined us:
1. UK climate impacts will affect people in vulnerable circumstances first and worst.
o Higher temperatures in the summer are already becoming as big an issue as the winter cold for those with chronic illnesses – “when it gets really hot, I can’t go outside… I can actually pass out and become very ill through extreme heat” (lived expert with fibromyalgia)
o Those on lower incomes are less able to move away from high flood risks areas or to afford high home insurance premiums.
2. Those who most need the cost savings from low carbon solutions can’t afford to make the changes.
o High living costs continue to put a huge strain on many people’s finances and the low carbon solutions to reduce energy use are beyond their reach. “I currently drive a very old diesel car but can’t afford to change it.” “I own my home, but I have to meet all the mortgage repayments out of my benefits… It leaves me pretty skint”.
o Only wealthier households are able to realise the long-term benefits of solar panels, heat pumps and electric vehicles, so without new financial solutions these will widen existing inequalities.
3. Grants are available but they are complex to access.
o A lot of time and a certain amount of wherewithal is needed just to find out about, and apply for, a grant. Whether or not a grant is available seems arbitrary, determined by where you live and some seemingly random factors. The lived experts felt that businesses needed to take responsibility for joining the dots and bringing together solutions and funding, rather than it being the responsibility of the customer.
4. Renting your home is a major barrier to action.
o There are few incentives for landlords to invest time and money in solutions where the savings will ultimately go to their tenants. All those renting lack the autonomy to make changes to their own living environment and those on lower incomes and/or experiencing other vulnerable circumstances are less likely to own their own homes. “I changed my car with Motability to an electric vehicle, but my landlord said I couldn’t have a charger originally…and I keep being passed around about installing a car charger” (lived expert who is a wheelchair user).
5. There is concern about the disruption and risks of making changes to your home.
o Even when the above barriers are overcome, there is concern around the disruption in the home that could occur when changes are made, such as the installation of a heat pump. Any time without heating would be stressful and dangerous to, for example, those who need constant warmth because of a medical condition, and physical obstructions during works could be difficult or dangerous to someone in a wheelchair. Flexible solutions and installations that take account of the customer’s circumstances are needed.
This session gave just a taster of the depth of insight and challenge that the lived experts in our Community can provide on multiple topics. There are a range of ways that we could work with you to deepen your understanding further, including:
In depth insight sessions with lived experts and charity experts to understand:
o How climate change is already impacting ‘vulnerable customers’ in the UK and how this is likely to intensify in the future. What do these impacts really look and feel like for customers in vulnerable circumstances?
o The barriers vulnerable customers face when trying to implement more sustainable practices and, therefore, how to ensure the transition to net zero is just and inclusive.
Immersive innovation workshops that bring together product/service designers and lived experts to understand their unmet needs and generate new ideas and prototypes for more inclusive climate solutions.
Inclusive design sessions for testing existing solutions and financing options with a panel of lived experts in a range of different circumstances to get robust feedback on how they can be made more accessible for all.
See our website for some of our recent projects including on the Future of Energy with the Centre For Energy Equality and the award-winning Inclusive Design Panel we have developed with NatWest Group. You can also follow us on LinkedIn to keep up to date on the work we are doing.
Whether you are looking for insight on the impact of climate change and sustainability, or anything non climate related contact us for a friendly chat to discuss your needs.