Home Advantage – Frequently Asked Questions
What is home advantage?
Home Advantage is an 11-week online project to help you reduce your bills, live better and give your opinion on living sustainably, to help other households.
Over 11 weeks we'll provide support, tips and activities that cover food, home energy, clothes, electronics and homeware. You’ll give some of these tips a go to see what works for you and share back your views and experiences, along with any of your own ideas along the way.
Who can apply? Am I eligible?
We’re looking for 150 people from across the UK to take part. To be eligible, we’re specifically looking for participants who are:
• UK Homeowners and are freeholders of their home. We understand that many people who rent and leasehold their property don’t have the freedom to make changes to their home, so we’re looking for participants who have agency to make these decisions.
• Have a household income of £50,000 or more. There are many initiatives and support available for those with an income below this threshold, so we’re looking for participants that can’t access this support.
• Aged 25 plus, as people aged under 25 are unlikely to be meet the above, and so are likely to be unrepresentative.
We know this audience represents a large chunk of the British population and will help the project learnings be scalable. We’re otherwise looking for households that broadly represent the UK population.
What's in it for me?
• £165 for taking part, £80 paid at the start and £85 on completion of the final survey
• Extra prizes to be won from sharing your opinions
• Expert advice on money-saving and environmental tips to help you live better
• Contribute to cutting edge research - and help others live better
• The chance for your opinions and ideas to form recommendations for businesses and government.
When will I get my incentives?
You’ll receive your incentives as a PayPal payment directly into your bank account. The first payment will be made within 30 working days once you’ve joined the Facebook Group and filled in the start survey, and the second payment will be made within 30 working days of completion of the project, including filling out an end project survey.
How will I join the group?
If you’re asked to take part in the project, you’ll be sent a survey to fill in and the links to join a Facebook group and a WhatsApp community group(s). All activities and communications will take place across these two groups.
How will my information be used?
• Eligibility and start and end surveys
The information that is shared through the eligibility and start and end surveys will be used to shape the content we share within the project, and anonymously, to shape the recommendations we give to businesses and government at the end of the project. None of your identifiable personal information will be shared externally, this
includes with project funders who may be your employer. Anonmyised data will be shared with our measurement partner.
• Photos and videos
Photos and videos shared across the Facebook and WhatsApp groups may be used to illustrate the activity of the project in follow-up reporting and case studies. Any photos and videos that we use will be shared using Alias names or phrases like ‘male, North-West, 50’s’. None of your identifiable personal information will be shared externally, beyond the Hubbub project team.
• Comments, discussions and engagement
Your engagement activity across Facebook and WhatsApp will be used to shape the recommendations we give to businesses and government at the end of the project. Information from your activity online with be used to identify key trends and themes across the group, and any direct quotes will be anonymized, using Alias names or phrases like ‘male, North-West, 50’s’. None of your identifiable personal information will be shared externally, beyond the Hubbub project team.
• Other people’s data
By taking part in the group, you agree to not share any information, photos, content or data that is shared across the Facebook group and WhatsApp community groups. All information shared in the groups, including photos, videos and comments, will be kept confidential
• Spokespeople and case studies
At the end of the project, we’ll be creating case studies to share the findings of the project. We’ll reach out to you to ask your permission to opt in to be identifiable in these case studies, and if you would like to act as a spokesperson for the project, E.g. via press releases or a video. Otherwise, we may use any photos or quotes but these would be anonymised – see above.
If you are or are not selected to join the Home Advantage project your data will be deleted in accordance with Hubbub data and privacy policy. Hubbub privacy policy can be found here.
What happens if I want to leave the group?
If you no longer wish to participate in the Project, you may cancel your participation by providing Hubbub notice in writing to homeadvantage@hubbub.org.uk You will therefore forfeit any payments for participation you’ve not yet completed e.g. if you choose to leave the project before the end of the 11 weeks, you will not receive the final £85 instalment of the incentive.
How should I behave in the Facebook/WhatsApp groups? Why might I be asked to leave?
The Facebook and WhatsApp groups will be a safe space to share your opinions, thoughts and experiences. Bullying of any kind isn't allowed, and offensive comments about things such as race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender or identity will not be tolerated and could lead to removal from the group and forfeiting relevant incentive payments Selfpromotion, spam or irrelevant links will be deleted and could lead to removal from the group and forfeiting relevant incentive payments.