A partnership of housing charities, retrofit specialists, and financial firms is testing a package of home improvements, smart energy monitoring, and new loan products for low-income older homeowners who want to stay in their homes rather than move into care. The project addresses a practical gap: older homeowners living in poorly maintained homes often cannot afford the repairs, adaptations, or energy upgrades that would let them age in place safely and comfortably. Existing financial products and support services rarely meet their needs. If the five products being tested—including a Smart Green Home Improvement Scheme, space-for-care adaptations, and new domiciliary care finance—prove viable, the model could scale nationally. That would mean fewer older people forced into residential care, lower energy bills, reduced carbon emissions from inefficient housing, and greater financial security through increased home value. The collaboration also includes a lodger-matching service, debt advice, and inclusive design expertise, so the impact extends beyond bricks and mortar into social connection and financial resilience. A social cost-benefit analysis by the London School of Economics will capture lessons on what works and what does not.
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Healthy Homes(r), Healthy Lives (HHHL) focusses on older homeowners living in homes in disrepair wanting to 'stay put' in an age friendly home, living longer healthier, happier lives. HHHL offers a diverse group of older low income homeowners access to home improvements, retrofit, renewables adaptations, energy monitoring, in-home smart technology, increased confidence and self-esteem, more connection with families, friends, and community, better financial security through increased value of the home, all hitherto out of their reach. Delivering its Home Improvement Scheme for 15 years, LRS identified additional classes of customers with unmet needs. In homes not fit for purpose, and needing repair and improvement our customers seek better, more flexible use of space, options to create two living areas, to share with family or lodgers, and anticipating future care needs at home. HHHL is a collaboration of proven practitioners and experts in addition to LRS, best placed to test and refine the project, reach sustainability and scale: \*Ecowise Ekodenge Limited -- integrated construction and energy monitoring platform \*BHESCO -- energy advice, surveys, retrofit and renewables \*Key Group -- £15m to test funding Smart Green Home Improvements \*JUST Group -- developing a new domiciliary care product. The wider partnership includes: a lodger matching service, inclusive design; debt advice, retirement, and mortgage advice; social investment, actuarial refinement of products 5 products will be tested either by LRS, Key/m2l or JUST: \*Smart Green Home Improvement Scheme \*Creating space for care in the home \*Finance for domiciliary care LRS provides a trusted support service, working alongside them, families and friends, to design their new home, enabled by a range of fair affordable financial products designed to achieve individual aspirations using a unique post works loan to value calculation. Customers have a dedicated client relationship manager (CRM). LRS' surveying team oversees and manages all matters relating to works standing between the customer and the contractor. A new integrated construction and home energy monitoring system supports the team, and customers. Customers seeking lodgers can access coaching, advice, and a matching service to ensure compatibility. HHHL will operate initially in London and Brighton and then expanding across the country. In selected areas there will be intensive community engagement and co-design workshops with local stakeholders and homeowners, to better understand needs and design improved services and financial products. LSE will carry out surveys and interviews with national and local stakeholders to inform the project. LSE will also carry out a process evaluation as one element of the overall Social Cost Benefit Analysis (SCBA) – identifying what went wrong, what could have been done differently or better – lessons learned. Theory of change models for each of the five products will be developed to provide a more insightful and nuanced base for the annual social impact evaluations, and leading to better products and services addressing inequalities.
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