Innovative service development and partnership working has been key for the organisation towards achieving its aim of ensuring a just transition to net zero. In 2023-24, Changeworks launched several new services to increase its scale and impact, including Scotland’s first end-to-end home retrofit service EcoCosi and a pilot service for social tenants working with the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA).

Last year, Changeworks had a strong impact in the context of a challenging landscape with an ongoing energy crisis and a lack of policy drive to tackle the climate emergency. The organisation provided advice to 64,000 householders, in-depth support to 4,000 households in fuel poverty, and achieved over £1 million in financial savings for struggling households. Furthermore, 13,000 homes in Scotland received support to install energy efficiency measures and renewables.​ Alongside this impact, the organisation focused on innovative partnerships and building new services to reach even more people.

Changeworks launched a range of services to support people across Scotland. For homeowners, EcoCosi provides end-to-end support to improve the energy efficiency of their home through retrofit. In 2023-24 the service had over 1,000 registrations. For social tenants, Changeworks delivered a successful pilot providing support and advice working with the SFHA. Across the five housing association partners, there was a collective estimated saving of over £160,000 from the range of support provided.

This work is invaluable to people like Ewa, who was struggling to keep her home warm due to high energy bills. The anxiety was impacting her physical health. Through support from an advisor from Changeworks’ Housing Association Energy Support Service, she was able to reduce her bills and now feels more confident managing her home energy.

Ewa said: “Speaking to the advisor has got me back on my feet. It was a big impact.”

Josiah Lockhart, Changeworks’ chief executive, added: “We believe that everyone deserves a warm, affordable, and sustainable home. This has never been more important in the face of the accelerating climate emergency, and we need to work collaboratively across sectors to achieve net zero in a just and fair way.

“At Changeworks, we are constantly innovating and exploring new business models. ​​Last year, our new services and partnerships meant we were able to support even more householders across Scotland, regardless of tenure. This year, are continuing to grow, evolving our services and scaling our reach to support even more people.​”