Posted 24.06.15
Social landlords remain best placed to cut fuel poverty and help the Government deliver more energy-efficient homes for the lowest cost.
This was the message from Lord Matthew Taylor, Chair of the National Housing Federation, to those attending the annual retrofitting conference and launch of the 2014/15 SHIFT Review of UK social landlords' environmental performance, run by consultancy Sustainable Homes.
Lord Taylor was speaking a week after the Department of Energy and Climate Change was told by the Treasury to cut £70 million from its budget in order to help cut the national debt. The SHIFT review has also found that energy efficiency in social housing has stalled, due to the uncertain policy and funding environment.
The Lib Dem peer told the packed event at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in London:
"If the Government is looking to spend money wisely to get maximum returns, while helping some of the poorest people in the country at the same time, they should be directing funding to social landlords.
"If tenants are choosing between food and heat and rent then arrears will tend to build up when people cannot afford it.
"We need new homes, but we need homes people can afford to heat, too, so they can afford to pay the rent - because it's that rent that will enable new homes to be built."
Lord Taylor admitted the sector's homes are of relatively good quality compared to those in the private rented sector, but said:
"It is also the case that we can drive improvements in a way that is not possible in the private rented sector".
The afternoon conference, a separate event on how to build a successful business case for retrofitting homes, made a similar argument.
Louise Archer, Executive Property Director of Norwich-based landlord Broadland Housing Group, described how her organisation has made the business case for low-cost retrofit - and how a clear strategy is crucial to making progress. Broadland also plans to build 75% of its homes to the passivhaus standard to provide lower energy costs for residents.
Robin Lawler, Chief Executive of Northwards Housing and ex-president of the Chartered Institute of Housing, spoke about how his organisation attained its gold SHIFT award last year. Northwards took a business-wide approach, he explained, from investing in making its stock more energy efficient, to making sure the landlord and its staff operate in as environmentally friendly manner as possible. The organisation's focus on energy efficiency has seen a reduction in its carbon emissions of 41% since 2006.
John Arden, Director of Property Services at another Manchester landlord, New Charter Housing Association, discussed both the extent of his organisation's retrofitting activities and how the landlord has been measuring the social value of those improvements.
Taking someone out of fuel poverty, New Charter's research concluded, could save £20,000 per person per annum from the public purse. This raises the question of whether there is a case for appealing directly to the NHS for funding environmental improvements to social housing stock. One contributor at the event wondered whether the devolution of health spending to Manchester next year might provide an opportunity to make such a case.
Posted 15.06.15
The Scottish Government has shamed the UK Government by prioritising the energy efficiency of existing buildings, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).
Following the Scottish Government's announcement that improving the energy efficiency of buildings in Scotland will be designated a national infrastructure priority, the FMB applauded Scotland's trail blazing attitude to this important policy area.
Gordon Nelson, Services Director of FMB Scotland, said:
"The Scottish Government has quite rightly prioritised our existing buildings because it recognises that in doing so, it will meet a number of its economic, social and environmental objectives. The next hurdle will be to encourage the UK government to increase its ambition for energy efficiency.
"The UK has a legally binding target to reduce the country's carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. This will simply not be achieved unless we dramatically reduce the carbon emissions emitted by our existing building, which are responsible for 27% of the UK's total carbon emissions.
"Moving away from the obvious carbon reduction benefits of this policy, investing in our current homes is essential at a time when we face a national housing crisis. It makes sense to maximise the benefit of the homes we already have while also ensuring that we build as many new homes as possible.
"We are thrilled that Aileen McLeod has taken steps to prioritise this fundamental issue. Not only will this policy boost jobs and growth in Scotland, it will help home owners reduce their energy bills and help lift families and individuals out of fuel poverty. We look forward to working with Dr. McLeod to ensure that this progressive policy is implemented on the ground."
