Care Energy & Buildings / Leadership tools

A stronger review. A better next decision.

Use these proportionate tools to organise evidence, test assumptions and prepare a clear brief. They support the conversation between finance, estates, managers and governing boards.

Care Circle Network Editorial Desk · Reviewed 19 October 2026

01 / Prepare the decision

A readiness review
for your next meeting.

Tick what the service has evidence for. This is a meeting aid, not a compliance rating or technical approval. Your selections stay in this open page and are not submitted.

A reconciled baselineConsumption, actual or estimated readings, meter boundaries and contract terms are understood.A care and comfort briefResidents’ needs, day and night operation and continuity requirements are represented.Authority and ownershipThe owner, operator, bill payer and funder have clear rights and responsibilities.A connected technical assessmentFabric, plant, water safety, electrical capacity and enabling works are considered together.A complete comparisonFull capital, retained costs, maintenance, funding and a credible alternative are visible.Confirmed funding conditionsEligibility, geography, timing and any restrictions on starting work are verified.A workable delivery planThe manager has agreed disruption limits, temporary arrangements and escalation.An operating reviewHandover, fault response, data access and 30, 90 and 365 day reviews have named owners.

0 of 8 evidence areas marked ready

Assign an owner and next date to each outstanding area before asking for an investment decision.

02 / Explore an illustrative scenario

Heating economics,
with the assumptions visible.

The starting values are examples, not market quotations, design advice or a forecast. Enter a surveyed heat requirement, applicable tariffs and credible seasonal performance to explore the relationship.

Annual useful heat requiredkWh of delivered heatGas unit pricep/kWh of fuelElectricity unit pricep/kWh of inputExisting boiler seasonal efficiencyfraction, e.g. 0.9 = 90%Heat pump seasonal performance factordelivered heat / electrical inputTotal proposed project capital£, including enabling worksConfirmed capital grant£, use zero if unconfirmedAdditional annual costs versus baseline£/year, maintenance and retained differences

Illustrative annual comparison

Existing boiler fuel cost: £6,667
Heat pump electricity cost: £7,813
Net annual operating difference: -£1,646
Energy-only break-even SPF: 3.75
Proposed capital less confirmed grant: £45,000
Simple capital recovery: No positive operating difference

A negative figure means higher modelled annual operating cost under these assumptions. It is not a verified saving.

Complete the appraisal before deciding

This simple model excludes discounting, finance, tax, standing charges, future price changes, replacement cycles, degradation and unentered costs. It assumes the same annual useful heat is delivered. It does not prove comfort or hot-water suitability.

The capital line uses the proposed project's net outlay. A proper investment appraisal also compares the realistic cost of maintaining or replacing the existing system. A simple recovery period is not a full project return.

Calculation method and useful checks

Boiler fuel cost = useful heat ÷ seasonal boiler efficiency × gas p/kWh ÷ 100. Heat pump electricity cost = useful heat ÷ seasonal performance factor × electricity p/kWh ÷ 100. The annual difference deducts the additional annual cost entered.

The energy-only break-even seasonal performance factor is boiler efficiency × electricity price ÷ gas price. It excludes maintenance and capital. Request a competent whole-system assessment of heat loss, emitters, electrical supply, hot water, enabling works and continuity.

03 / Downloadable working records

Take the evidence
into your own workbook.

CSV templates open in common spreadsheet applications. They contain headers and a blank row for your own data. Keep resident names and unnecessary personal information out of shared energy records.