Video was recommended by the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury and the Placeshapers and Tpas research. It was also popular with our Tenant Advisory Group.

If you scroll to the bottom of the page there are some videos about different types of energy efficiency work you can share with residents.

Video can be used to communicate with tenants about energy efficiency work in several ways:

• Virtual demo home tour. It might not always be practical to have a demo home on site, for example if you’re doing energy efficiency work on a small number of homes. We’ve put together a 3D virtual tour of a home which has been fitted out with energy efficiency measures. You can share this with tenants.
• Case study videos. Residents trust other residents most, so videos from residents offer reassurance. They can be shared with residents at one-to-one meetings with customer liaison officers, at energy efficiency road shows, and via letter, email or text message. The videos will be most useful if they paint a realistic picture and explain how worries and issues were overcome. They can also address common concerns which appear in the FAQs.
• Videos explaining what energy efficiency technology such as heat pumps and insulation are. There are lots of these already available. The Energy Saving Trust has some useful videos and information on their website. Most energy suppliers have videos explaining the different technology and you may find your contractor does too, so it’s worth speaking to them about this. These videos can be shared with residents in the same way as the case study videos.
• Video instruction manuals / troubleshooting videos. If we’re stuck doing a household task, many of us turn to YouTube. Your residents will be the same, so it makes sense to share instruction and troubleshooting videos. You may find they are useful for educating colleagues too. Find out if the manufacturer of the technology you’re installing offers instruction videos. If not, you can make some of your own with your tradespeople or customer liaison officer demonstrating how to operate the technology. You could even get a resident involved in the video, asking questions, or doing the demonstration. These videos (or online instructions) can be shared via a QR code on appliances. They can also be sent via email or text message.

Tips for making your own video:

• Videos can be simple; they’ll seem more authentic that way. You don’t need to invest in polished production.
• When you are doing case study videos make sure they’re realistic, and cover questions, concerns and issues the residents had. This will help reassure other residents with similar worries.
• Include a range of residents from different demographics so the videos reflect the people who live in your homes.
• Make sure your videos have subtitles, so they are more accessible.