1. OVERVIEW
Steplight provides home sustainability assessments, consultations and expert advice to households in partnership with local government and other program sponsors. Our objective is to effect real change within the community and our commitment is for the long term.
Steplight’s profiling tool is designed to take a snapshot of the present situation, deliver targeted advice, track actual changes made, and report back to both the household and the program sponsor.
The key benefits of Steplight’s Home Assessments package are:
- Cost effective – a ‘per household’ cost structure with limited or no set-up fees ensures minimum exposure for program sponsors and operators.
- Scalable – including access to a tried, tested and documented operational model (which includes household recruitment).
- Complete and secure – a complete software solution enabling secure storage of data and long term engagement with households.
- Locally focused – Steplight’s system can be customised at a local level ensuring local input and relevance.
- Independent – Steplight is not tied to solutions providers and places an emphasis on providing quality advice to households.
- Up-to-date – continually updated ‘knowledge base’ ensuring that advice provided is always current.
There are two ways in which Steplight’s solution can be deployed in your community.
1. Steplight as operator
This option is typically (but not strictly) limited to the greater Sydney metropolitan region. Steplight is currently directly engaged in five local government areas in Sydney.
2. Steplight as service provider to local operator
Steplight’s system can also be deployed elsewhere and taken up by a local operator. This includes full training in Steplight’s systems (on-site in the programs locality). An example of this is the Y Green initiative which also incorporates accredited training of young people as sustainability advisers (see www.ygreen.com.au for more information).
2. BENEFITS FOR SPONSORS
Effect and monitor real change in the community
Local government and other organisations have taken significant steps in recent years to reduce the environmental impact of their own operations. Whilst significant gains have been made, comparatively little work has been done at the household level, yet this is where some of the most substantial opportunities lie.
Steplight’s profiling tool is designed to take a snapshot of the present situation, deliver targeted advice, track actual changes made, and report back to both the resident and the program sponsor.
Low risk and low cost engagement
Steplight brings a complete, proven package and takes care of the otherwise time consuming and riskier aspects of direct community engagement, including:
- A refined survey system and regularly updated knowledge and advice, which comes complete but also allows for some customisation (such as the linking in with existing local council programs).
- A system for recruiting and managing participating households (including some assistance with marketing activities, an online registration system and the operation of a dedicated 1300 number to field resident enquiries).
- A straight forward ‘per household’ cost structure.
Steplight’s refined operational approach ensures a cost effective solution. Furthermore, provided minimum program numbers are met, Steplight requires no set-up fees for a campaign.
Stay involved, well into the future
Steplight’s Community Review process allows sponsors to stay involved with the same or expanding group of residents well into the future. Importantly, Steplight does not require an annual subscription from sponsoring organisations and continues to seek a diverse range of funding opportunities.
Sponsors may wish to conduct reviews, or involve additional residents in the program as funding comes available.
3. BENEFITS FOR THE COMMUNITY
A personal consultation
Steplight uses trained teams of two staff to conduct consultations. The use of two staff members greatly improves safety and heightens the overall quality of the service. Teams will identify themselves as providing services on behalf of the local council or other sponsor (as appropriate). The team is assisted by the use of a laptop computer with specialised software and other equipment as required (power meters, non-contact thermometers, etc).
The consultation consists of receiving answers to up to 100 questions (depending on the type of house, type of resident). Once the survey is complete, an analysis is done on the laptop and the results are discussed with the resident. During this time the resident is able to discuss the advice with the assessors and also ask any other questions they may have. The consultation usually takes about 45 minutes.
Expert advice, no strings attached
When the team finishes for the day, the information collected is uploaded and processed. A personalised Action Plan is developed and sent to the resident by post or email.
The key features of the Action Plan are:
- A NABERS star rating of the dwelling’s energy and water consumption
- It only includes advice which is relevant to the dwelling
- No paid-for product referrals are made
Long-term engagement
Using the Community Review process Steplight can continue to engage with residents well into the future. It is recommended that an initial review is conducted three to six months after the initial consultation. The resident will be contacted by phone and asked for an update on key issues, including what actions they were able to complete. An updated Action Plan (or similar) is sent to the resident, and an updated summary report produced for council.
Further engagement in the future may tackle a new issue. For example, an initial consultation may focus on the issues of home energy and water use, while a review in the future could gather information and deliver advice on waste and recycling.
4. HOW A CAMPAIGN WORKS
Administration and logistics
Steplight will manage the majority of administration and logistical issues associated with the program such as customisation of reporting material, program planning, staffing, and so on. Once some broad marketing activity has been conducted (eg. announcement on council website, a mention in a local newsletter) Steplight teams will then door-knock the community. Where residents wish to participate, consultations will be offered immediately or at a more convenient time (while teams are still in the area).
Recruiting residents
There are a range of avenues for resident recruitment; however, Steplight has found that the most successful method is door-knocking. Local councils can often assist in this regard by coordinating the design of flyers and campaign branding (if desired) along with other marketing activities such as a mention on council’s website, local news coverage, and so on. Whichever way recruitment is conducted, residents will have the opportunity to book consultations directly with Steplight via an established online registration system and 1300 number.
Timing
Steplight’s system has the capacity for numerous teams to be deployed in each locality at any one time. This means all the consultations in each community can be conducted in a matter of weeks. After each community campaign is complete, Steplight will review the results with the program sponsor (including delivery of the Community Profile Report) and plan the next campaign.
What happens to the collected data
Steplight is the custodian of data collected on behalf of the residents and will respect their privacy. We will not disclose their information in ways that can identify them without their agreement.
During the consultation residents are advised of the following:
- Their profile will be retained on file and they will be contacted in a few months as part of the review process.
- Their (anomalised) results may be incorporated into research.
- Consumption data may be collected directly from utilities (only if they have signed the optional waiver allowing Steplight to do this)
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