THE GOVERNMENT'S SECOND WAVE OF FUNDING FOR SOCIAL HOUSING DECABONISATION
SHDF IS DESIGNED TO TACKLE SOME OF THE ENVIRONMENTALL WORST-PERFORMING SOCIAL HOUSING STOCK IN THE COUNTRY
A combination of rising fuel prices, the cost-of-living crisis, and environmental factors is making social housing decarbonisation ever more important. The government is releasing more funds following the success of the first wave.
Reducing the fuel bills of some of the poorest people in the country as well as decreasing carbon consumption is necessary on so many levels. Local authorities, combined authorities, and registered providers of social housing can apply for some of the £800m available to improve the energy performance of their social homes.
HOW WILL THE SHDF HELP THE SOCIAL HOUSING SECTOR AND WHY?
The 2019 Conservative manifesto included the proposal for a £3.8bn Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund over a 10-year period.
The government has various environmental targets to reach, including the 2050 greenhouse gas net-zero target and the carbon budget which restricts the total amount of greenhouse gases the UK can emit over a five-year period.
There are approximately 24 million homes in England, and in 2021 the number designated as social homes increased to 4.4 million. Of these, 1.6m are below Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band C.
The Clean Growth Strategy includes wanting “all fuel poor homes to be upgraded to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C by 2030 and for as many homes as possible to be EPC Band C by 2035 where practical, cost-effective and affordable”. This should help reduce both emissions and fuel poverty.
THE TIMELINE FOR THE SOCIAL HOUSING DECARBONISATION FUND WAVE 2
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is looking for proposed projects to be realistic and deliverable. To score more highly they will need to be evidence based and include all the relevant data and information. Supply chain partners should be identified, and they are expected to be EEM products suppliers and installers as well as retrofit assessors, coordinators, and designers
A specialist will be able to help you get the most out of your opportunity to bid for funds. We have a lot of experience in providing measured building surveys in the retrofit sector, including over 750 homes at the Lancaster West Estate in London, which is one of the largest social-housing retrofit schemes to be undertaken there. We also carried out retrofit surveys of over 500 homes in the first wave of the SHDF in Netherfield, Crawley, and Durham.
If you would like any further information on how we can assist you with social housing decarbonisation and how to best approach wave 2 of the SHDF please get in touch.
