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THE REVIEW UK social landlords - environmental performance 2014/15 Sponsored by SHIFTREPORT2015.qxp_Layout105/06/201515:21Page2

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Page 1: THE REVIEW - Housing association title of the world’s largest brick ... Porotherm – a unique clay block ... THE REVIEW UK social landlords

THE REVIEWUK social landlords -

environmental performance

2014/15

Sponsored by

SHIFT�REPORT�2015.qxp_Layout�1��05/06/2015��15:21��Page�2

Page 2: THE REVIEW - Housing association title of the world’s largest brick ... Porotherm – a unique clay block ... THE REVIEW UK social landlords

www.sustainablehomes.co.uk

Founded in Vienna in 1819,Wienerberger is a leading providerof wall, roof and landscapinginnovations. Since its establishmentthe company has grown to holdthe title of the world’s largest brickmanufacturer and No. 1 on the clayroof tiles market in Europe with itsUK operation standing at theforefront of the battle for nurturingsustainability within theconstruction industry.

As part of its commitment tobuilding better homes, for both endusers and the environment,Wienerberger has undertaken anumber of initiatives to reduce theimpact its products make upon theenvironment whilst developinghousing concepts that willrevolutionise the industry.

Evidence of such productinnovation is the introduction ofPorotherm – a unique clay blockwalling system. Porotherm isbecoming increasingly popular inthe UK thanks to its exceptionallyfast, virtually dry constructioncombined with high strength andthermal efficiency. It is also asimple system to use.

One of the things that makesWienerberger stand out from othermanufacturers is that the drive tobuild a better future goes beyondthe products in makes. It hasevolved into the creation ofbuilding concepts. The

Wienerberger e4 brick house™concept was developed to addressthe need for affordable, sustainablehousing in the UK. Designed inconjunction with globalengineering and designconsultancy, ARUP, the e4 brickhouse™ model focuses on the fourpillars of Wienerberger’s global e4concept – energy, economy,environment and emotion.

Suitable for a wide range of housesizes and typologies theWienerberger e4 brick house™utilises a fabric first approach usinga clay building envelope. Thisminimises the energy needs of thehome and the related costs, asignificant benefit for homeownerswith the average energy billexceeding £1300 per annum.

The Wienerberger e4 brick housealso utilises BIM (BuildingInformation Modelling) which aidsevery stage of the constructionprocess, through planning, buildingand ultimately, the operationallifespan of the development.

For more information onWienerberger, our products or thee4 brick house concept please visitwww.wienerberger.co.uk

Wienerberger’s vision for the future

THE REVIEW UK social landlords - environmental performance

2014/15

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Social landlords are buildingmore new homes, despite cuts

to the grant challenging viabilityand business models. They arebuilding the type of homes that areneeded, where they are needed:refreshing the parts others can’treach. As exemplified by the leadrole of the National HousingFederation in the ‘Homes forBritain’ campaign, they are playinga nationally important role insolving the housing crisis.

But this isn’t just a housingnumbers crisis; it’s also a housingquality crisis. Put simply, far toomuch of the UK’s stock is in a poorstate of repair. Fuel poverty stillblights many homes during thewinter months. Politicians talk atough game on energy prices butthis only obscures the chronicwaste of energy caused by leakyhomes. We should all beconcerned about waste: siphoningmoney to unproductive energycompanies is hardly soundeconomics, whist needlesslycontributing to carbon emissions isno kind of environmental policy.

Sustainable homes are moreenergy efficient, and are also lessvulnerable to flooding, create less

waste and are healthier and nicerto live in. In short, they are fit forthe twenty first century. From 2016the zero carbon homes policy willmean more of these type of homesbeing built around the UK, whilstminimum energy efficiencystandards in the private rentedsector from 2018 are a huge leapforward. These changes will enablesubstantive improvements – butthey are at the margins. The vastmajority of the homes that willmake up our housing stock in 2050have already been built. We needto get to work, and we need to getto work now.

Social landlords accredited withSHIFT recognise this and areworking to improve thesustainability of their homes, officesand operations with the benefit of aframework developed by thesector, for the sector. They arecollaborating, sharing ideas andcomparing performance. Thisreport summarises the work theyhave undertaken over the past twoyears and shows the impact theyare having.

SHIFT landlords all move atdifferent paces but what they havein common is a commitment to

measuring their impact andworking to improve it. If we are tocreate the homes andcommunities that we all want tosee, this is an excellent place tostart.

Lord Taylor of Goss MoorChair - National HousingFederation

Foreword

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Landlords are making goodprogress using the SHIFTframework, which enables sociallandlords to measure, compare andimprove their environmentalperformance. This report draws outkey issues, by tracking thisperformance over time.

l More time is being spentassessing flood risks, and actionis being taken to reduce them.As a result, over 300,000 extrahomes have been confirmed asnot at risk of flooding. Floodrisk is an area whereperformance has improvednoticeably in the last two years.

l Residents are being engaged onenergy efficiency and the typeof discussion or education ismore active. However thereremains a big opportunity forlandlords to reduce residents’bills and energy use by investingmore in energy advice and stafftraining in conjunction withenergy efficiency measures. Theestimated total extra savings peryear that have been made since2012 from energy saving adviceis almost half that for improvingthe energy efficiency of homes.

l Progress on energy efficiencyhas stalled in social housing,with the average SAP rating(which measures energyefficiency) remaining the same(at 70) since the last review in2012. This can be attributed inlarge part to the changes made

to Energy Company Obligation(ECO) which came into effectlast year, hitting social landlordsdisproportionately hard. TheClimate Change Act implies atarget of SAP 86.

l SHIFT landlords are broadly ‘ontrack’ to reduce the waste andcarbon emissions generated bytheir offices – illustrating that,unlike for most housing, thevalue of energy efficiency isrecognised by the non-domestic market.

l Increasingly, organisationsare realising financial returnsfrom energy efficient homesrequired by the Homes andCommunities Agency. Some arenow recording savings fromoffice costs, fleet costs andcommunal areas of hundreds ofthousands of pounds. Othersreport the halving of rent arrearsassociated with energy efficienthomes.

l Overheating is a ticking timebomb. Nearly 100,000 extrahomes are now confirmedsecure from the risk ofoverheating but this leavesmany potentially unprotected.35,000 deaths across Europeand 2,000 in the UK wereestimated to have been causedby the heatwave of 2003, andtemperatures of 50 degreeshave been recorded in somehomes.

l Social landlords tend to build toa higher standard than others.But the number of homes builtto higher Code for SustainableHomes standards did notincrease over the last two years.This may be due to the Codebeing wound down.

l There is widespread frustrationwith how ECO operates andmany want to see change. Toooften, priorities are skewed,driven by the energy companiesand are anathema to a strategicapproach.

l Social landlords should seek anew settlement with theGovernment. They should agreeto lead on more cost-effective‘street-by-street’ energyefficiency schemes acrosstenures in exchange forrestrictions on funding beinglifted. They should also seeknew flexibilities to enable themto share with residents some ofthe costs and benefits ofinvesting in energy efficiency.

Executive summary

THE REVIEW UK social landlords - environmental performance

2014/15

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First Wessex staff use this Nissan Leafelectric car – or ‘Eddie’ – to make shortjourneys to see residents, saving around

43p a mile in running costs and, ofcourse, producing zero emissions.

Following requests SHIFT landlords nowreceive a calculation of the carbon

efficiency of their fleet and acomparison with other landlords.

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SHIFT 2012 v 2014performance in existinghomes and new build

SHIFT 2012 v 2014performance in officesand operations

5

These radar graphs demonstrate that there has beenreal progress – but also that there is a long way togo. The inherent challenge in addressing such alarge number of homes calls for a co-ordinatedeffort to kickstart retrofit and social landlords arewell-placed to do so.

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SHIFT is the sustainability standardfor the housing sector, provided bySustainable Homes and formallyrecognised by the Homes andCommunities Agency. It is anindependent assessment andaccreditation scheme thatdemonstrates organisations aredelivering against challengingenvironmental targets.

SHIFT looks at four key parts of anorganisation:

Strategy – this is essential forgaining buy-in from allstakeholders, setting environmentaltargets and monitoring progresstowards them.

Existing homes – these will bestanding for a long time and thenumbers far exceed the amount ofnew build in the near future.Making them sustainable will bringpeople out of fuel poverty andprovide healthy places to live thatencourage sustainable living.

New build – current buildingregulations are not enough tocreate a sustainable housing stock.Homes built in the 21st centuryneed to be fit for the 21st century.They need to be highly energyefficient, prevent overheating,enable efficient wastemanagement and have a positiveeffect on biodiversity.

Offices – the environmental impactof offices is often forgotten, butthey do have impacts which areassessed by SHIFT. This bringssustainability closer to staff and alsoleads to the possibility of improvingoperations and value for money.

SHIFT assessments reportrecommendations forimprovement, helpingorganisations understand where tofocus future investment to achievesavings, and allow comparison withpeers. And of course SHIFT helpsimprove the quality of life ofresidents and staff through higherquality homes and offices.

What is SHIFT?

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This report provides a commentary onthe key findings and trends identifiedfrom the 2014/15 round of assessmentsof SHIFT accredited landlords,examining performance on some of theissues addressed by SHIFT. Not all areasare covered in this report.

7

SHIFT started with 16accredited organisations.Now over 66 organisationsare involved, who betweenthem manage over onemillion homes.

This ranges from landlordswith 1,200 homes to thosewith over 70,000 homes.

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A group of 66 leading landlords are working to reduce impacts

Get accredited. Sign up now: www.sustainablehomes.co.uk/shiftPowered by Sustainable Homes.

...which also saves

1741 tonnes of carbon, the same as improving loft insulation to 300m in 2196 homes

Since 2012* they have achieved the following:

Important things they are doing now... Why?

Saving

314,101 extra homes

from flooding...

...and saving

91,682 extra homes from

overheating

Saved over

4700tonnes of household waste going to landfill

= 393,578 wheelie bins

diverted an extra

928 tonnes of extra

waste from landfill = 77,333 wheelie bins

Saved

84,000tonnes of C02 by making

encouraging residents to save energy...

...the equivalent of taking

15,000

Saved over

1.65 millioncubic metres of water -

that’s roughly

23.5 millionbaths...

of the reason for reducing their impacts came from the

SHIFT programme

* Information accurate as of June 2015

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Improving the energy efficiency ofhousing stock which is already builtis probably the single biggestchallenge to creating sustainablehomes. Moreover, its status as aproxy for a host of other issues thatconcern the quality of housing –from health, fuel poverty andaffordability to reducing rent arrears– means it is rightly a focus forattention.

Indeed, this overlap is nowrecognised by the Government,who have re-oriented their strategyfor tackling fuel poverty towards itsbiggest underlying cause – energyinefficient properties – and awayfrom short term, wastefulexpenditure that subsidises the cost

of large energy bills for vulnerablepeople.

The new target provides for asmany fuel poor homes ‘as isreasonably practicable’ to reach aminimum EPC band ‘C’ by 2030.There are no regulatory drivers inplace for social landlordsthemselves to improve energyefficiency or tackle fuel poverty atpresent. Despite this, many choseto do so as part of managing andimproving homes, with the DecentHomes standard formerly playing abig role.

The SAP (Standard AssessmentProcedure) rating is currently themost precise measure of the

overall energy efficiency of ahome. It is an index based oncalculating annual room and waterheating costs for a standard heatingregime and is expressed on a scaleof 1 (highly inefficient) to 100(highly efficient with 100representing zero energy cost).

The following graph shows the SAPperformance of the 53 SHIFTlandlords assessed as part of the2014 assessment. Each barrepresents the average SAPperformance of a SHIFTlandlord.The graph also showswhere we need to be by 2020 andwhere the sector is on average.

Energy efficiency, fuel poverty and emissionsA � � � �7

❝We’ve prioritised raising theenergy efficiency of ourexisting stock as we knowthe impact that warmerhomes have on residents –healthier, cheaper to run andabove all, nicer places tolive in”

Steve Coffey, Chief Executive,Liverpool Mutual Homes

❝All of our new build is at least Code 4 and many of ourdevelopments are built to the highest standard – Passivhaus”

Sue Chalkley, Chief Executive, Hastoe Housing Group

❝We are looking to embarkon a significant programmeof PV installations, whichcould cut CO2 emissions by2,500 tonnes a year”

Colin Salt, Sustainability Manager,Symphony Group

Average SAP 2012 Average SAP 2014

70% 70%9

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In 2014, the average SAP of SHIFTlandlords was just over 70 –significantly better than the socialhousing sector average of 66. Thisis the same figure as in 2012. This isto some extent due to the increasein the number of SHIFT accreditedlandlords, some of which hadlower performing stock. But inlarge part reflects changes to theEnergy Company Obligation thatrendered many projects to improveenergy efficiency unviable.

After SAP ratings for homes areimproved initially with ‘low hangingfruit’ improvements such asreplacing inefficient boilers,measures that are more expensivebut have greater impact, such assolid wall insulation, come into playmore. Because social landlords,and SHIFT landlords in particular,tend to be further along thetrajectory, the changes to ECOwhich reduced the funding forthese measures had adisproportionate impact

However, even with these barriersSHIFT landlords have beeninvesting and are now saving 57,616tonnes of carbon a year over andabove 2012.

❝If you’re not embedding sustainability into your assetmanagement strategies you’re missing a trick.

Each time you plan an improvement & renewal project –certainly before the scaffolding goes up – landlordsshould use the opportunity to get more done in a cost-effective way.

It may look like an expense now but social landlords arein it for the long game. If we are going to get to gripswith energy efficiency and tackle fuel poverty,sooner orlater we’re going to need to do this stuff anyway – sowhy not plan ahead?”

Robin Lawler, Chief Executive, Northwards Housing

Riverside CEO Carol Matthews chatswith a resident from Liverpool whobenefited from a £2 million project

to insulate homes.

THE REVIEW UK social landlords - environmental performance

2014/15

Households activelyengaged 2012

Households activelyengaged 2014

19% 26%

10

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Energy efficiency and SAP ratingsare a big part of the story. Butproviding advice on reducingenergy consumption and savingmoney is also a key part of thebattle to secure more sustainablehomes. It is an area which showsone of the largest variations ofactivty between landlords.

Advice can take a number ofdifferent forms, from visits by‘energy doctors’ to contacting gasengineers to give energy saving tipswhen they visit. Delivered in theright way, advice can have asignificant impact, with fuel billsavings of up to £170 on averageper resident reported. We calculatethat 26,820 extra tonnes of carbonsaved a year has been saved as aresult of resident engagementprogrammes. This is significant. Infact, the extra tonnes of carbon

estimated to have been saved everyyear since 2012 from engagementis around half that from investing inexisting stock – suggesting that thisis an area that landlords would dowell to attend to if the potential ofincreased energy efficiencymeasures is to be realised.

One of the key findings fromSustainble Homes’ National EnergyStudy carried out with socialhousing residents was thatinformation on energy use by itselfwas not enough – advice andfeedback is essential. With smartmeters soon to be rolled out acrossthe country social landlords are in aposition to demonstrate the missedopportunity that would result ifsome sort of feedback is not alsoincluded as part of theirspecifications.

❝We have trained engineersto engage with residents onhow they can save duringannual gas safety checks. Inaddition our FinancialInclusion officer givesenergy saving advicealongside our GreenDoctors.

Activities like this do notneed to cost an arm and aleg if they’re doneintelligently – and thesavings to our residents areworth every penny andmore.”

Jon Cross, Property ServicesDirector, Hexagon

Your Homes Newcastle arehelping residents reducetheir energy bills

11

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Landlords are also reducing theemissions from their offices,monitoring energy efficiency withDisplay Energy Certificates as wellas installing a range of measuressuch as LED lighting and takingsteps to encourage staff to use lessenergy.

The chart below illustrates theannual office carbon emissionsreported by SHIFT landlords. Theaverage value for the 2014 publicassessment is 90.68kgCO2/m2/year which is aconsiderable reduction in the 2012

average of 99 kg, and equates to1,905 extra tonnes of carbon saveda year. Under the trajectory plottedby the Climate Change Act forreducing emissions we estimatethis figure needs to reduce to 75 kgper year by 2020 – a target whichsome SHIFT landlords areexceeding by a good margin.

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❝All our frontline staff aretrained on energy efficiency.If the name of the game is tosave energy and reduce billsfor residents, thenundertaking improvementsto properties without doingthis sort of thing makes nosense.”

Paul Hackett, Chief Executive,Amicus Horizon

THE REVIEW UK social landlords - environmental performance

2014/15

Resident engagementon energy efficiency

Office carbonemissions

12

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Some of the impact of climatechange is now irreversible,meaning a proportion of the UK’shousing stock will need to beadapted to reduce the risk offlooding or overheating.

Over five million people in Englandand Wales are deemed to be at riskof flooding – but less than 40% ofthem are aware.

Needless to say, the impact offlooding on people’s lives issignificant: when people areflooded, they spend on average of24 days reorganising their homes.The risks are rising, with thenumber of homes likely to beflooded expected to increase by20% by 2035.

SHIFT provides an independentcheck to see how well landlordsunderstand their flood risks. Thebest practice of the leadingassociations is shared, so otherlandlords can better prepare or takeaction to reduce the risk of homesbeing damaged.

Since 2012 over 314,000 extrahomes have been confirmed assecure from the risk of flooding.This represents a tangibleimprovement. Accreditedorganisations are doing more tocheck the risks of flooding to theirhomes and, where they need to,taking steps to reduce that risk.Further, in 2014 more than half ofaccredited organisations verifiedthat over 80% of their homes were

at low risk of flooding. This meansthat following checks they couldconfirm that their properties werein a low flood risk area, or that,where properties were in a floodrisk area, take corrective action.

Adaptation to climate change

Secure from risk ofhomes flooding 2012

Secure from risk ofhomes flooding 2014

33% 60%

13

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Some SHIFT landlords have hadcomprehensive flood riskassessments carried out, and manyothers are assessing their homesand taking corrective action. oftenthis involves informing residents ofthe risk and advising thatappropriate insurance is taken out.These organisations are some ofthose organisations scoring 100%,as illustrated in the above graph.

Properties that have been built tothe Code for Sustainable Homesstandard have automatically beenadapted to climate change as aresult of the design and buildprocess.

The dangers of cold homes arewell-documented – but homes thatare excessively hot can also pose abig risk, especially for elderlypeople.

Temperatures are rising andheatwaves are morecommonplace; the summer of2003 was estimated to havecaused as many as 2,000 excessdeaths in the UK. Meanwhile,homes built that are overly-exposed, with inadequateventilation or shading canexacerbate the issue, withtemperatures as high as 50oCrecorded in some social housingproperties.

This increasing threat is recognisedby SHIFT, which measures homesthat are confirmed as secure fromthe risk of overheating. Althoughprogress has been made in thisarea, the average has been skewedby a small number of landlordsassessing most of their stock,leaving more than half who haveundertaken little or no action at all.

THE REVIEW UK social landlords - environmental performance

2014/15

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Secure from risk ofoverheating 2012

Secure from risk ofoverheating 2014

14% 21%

❝Based on data the availabledata we have estimated thelevel of risk to all of ourexisting stock from floodingand overheating.

This knowledge has thenbeen reflected in our assetmanagement anddevelopment strategies,recognising the need forresistant and resilientmeasures to be consideredwhen maintaining existingstock and building newhomes. This will help tominimise the impact of thesehazards – and reduce costsin the long term.”

Noel Brosnan, Asset ManagementDirector, Octavia Housing

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❝Whenever we replace kitchens and bathrooms we specifywater efficient products – saving water saves money forresidents and helps to future-proof our stock and reduce thedemand on mains supplies during droughts which arebecoming ever more frequent.”

Louise Archer, Executive Property Director, Broadland Housing Group

SHIFT attempts to encourage thesetting aside of land or areas thatnative species can thrive in. Thismight be wild grass, green roofs orwalls, old logs being allowed to rotor bat or bird boxes. This isimportant. England’s biodiversityplan, Biodiversity 2020, is aGovernment strategy aiming forhealthy, well-functioningecosystems with more and betterplaces for nature for the benefit ofwildlife and people.

The 2014 UK Biodiversity Indicatorsprovide a summary of howprogress is fairly for some species.Between 1970 and 2013,populations of breeding farmlandand woodland birds decreased by55% and 28% respectively. Since1976, the indices for butterflies insemi-natural habitats and for thosefound in the wider countrysidehave decreased by 73% and 36 %respectively. All of these changesare statistically significant.[1] The

percentage rise in homes withecological enhancements issignificant, not least because of theincrease in the number of homesmanaged under the SHIFTprogramme. The net impact is thatbetween 2012 and 2014 thegardens of an extra 67,697 homesbenefitted from some type ofecological enhancements.

Ecology

Homes with ecologicalenhancements 2012

Homes with ecologicalenhancements 2014

8% 13%

However, some organisations are doing a great deal more than others:

15

[1] UK Biodiversity Indicators, by theBiodiversity and Ecosystems Evidenceand Analysis team (Defra) 2014,

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Waste Landfill sites are filling up, and thelatest version of the EU WasteFramework Directive requiresmember states to achieve a 50%household recycling rate by 2020[1].England achieved 44.2% - whilstWales has achieved 53%[2]. Thefinancial impact of England notmeeting this target could besignificant – with some suggestingthis could result in fines in excessof £500,000 a day. This regulatorydriver has meant that taking stepsto reduce the amount of wastegoing to landfill is an increasginlyan imperative.

But it is also an issue for individualhouseholds, and SHIFT landlordshave been active in encouraging

their residents to reduce theamount of landfill they produce.Homes built to sustainabilitystandards such as Code forSustainable Homes includededicated internal waste recyclingbins to help drive a change inhabits.

Landlords have also made significant progress in diverting waste from landfill intheir offices, with 65% of waste now diverted. This represents an improvement of12% since 2012. Landlords have set up recycling schemes, used contractors withgood environmental credentials and switched to centralised photocopiers andprinters to discourage the generation of waste in the first place. This is a key areafor improvement – whilst recycling rates are relatively high, the amount of wasteproduced is still high, and attacking this at source would represent an obviouswin-win for resources and costs.

THE REVIEW UK social landlords - environmental performance

2014/15

❝Making sure that thepeople we work withshare our commitmentto sustainability makessense and can contributeto embedding theapproach more widely.We have implemented100% recycling targetsfor our maintenancecontractors.”

Phil Thompson, Head ofDevelopment & Sustainability,Catalyst Housing Group

Diversion of office waste from landfill 2012

Diversion of officewaste from landfill 2014

53% 65%

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16[1] http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/framework/targets.htm[2] http://gov.wales/statistics-and-research/local-authority-municipal-waste-management/?lang=en

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Time to reform the EnergyCompany Obligation?

Catalyst Housing Group –exemplar retrofits are more likelywhen the sector has certainty

SHIFT accredited landlords areleading the sector by investing inhomes, even without significantfunding on the table. But thechanges to the Energy CompaniesObligation of 2014 have had adisproportionately large impact onsocial landlords, who are oftenfurther along the curve in terms ofthe types of measures they haveundertaken. The changes turnedoff the tap on many solid wall

insulation schemes – amongst themost costly to carry out, but alsoone of the measures that have thebiggest impact on energy use andbills – rendering them unviable.

We asked SHIFT landlords for theirviews on the operation of ECO. It isclear is that, even putting thechanges to ECO to one side, manyhave found its operation frustratingand distortive. A large amount ofresource needed to be spent on

getting to grips with how it worked,and ‘matching up’ energycompanies with projects was alsotime-consuming. This appears tohave had two consequences.

Firstly, rather being topped up toget them over the line, projectshave often been fully funded by theobligation without help fromlandlords or third party funders –great if you are the lucky recipient,but not a very equitable or efficient

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use of money. Secondly, to ensurethat schemes came to fruition andwere not rendered unviable in anuncertain funding environment,projects are frequently plannedwithout factoring in externalfunding. This means that externalinvestment designed to drivedecision-making towards energyefficiency can be, in effect,‘wasted’. In short, for manylandlords, ECO has beenbureaucratic, cumbersome and apoor use of a resources.

So there is appetite for change. Thecurrent obligation ends in 2017, andenergy companies are gearing upto discharge the majority of theircommitments by the end of 2016.We need be thinking seriously nowabout what should come after.There is broad consensus that itssuccessor should:

l Be taken out of the hands ofthe energy companies – sociallandlords, local authorities andcommunity groups are best-placed to determine whereinvestment is most needed

l Target low-income groups atrisk of fuel poverty – whoalready contribute adisproportionate amountthrough green levies

l Adopt an ‘area-based’approach – so that economiesof scale can be maximised andresources used more efficiently.

THE REVIEW UK social landlords - environmental performance

2014/15

“Painfully complicated. Not atall happy with the energycompanies insisting theythemselves project manage theworks or even deliver them viasubsidiaries”

“It was great whilst it lasted, andfor the limited range ofmeasures we used it for. Thereare missing measures thatwould be of enormous help intackling fuel poverty”

“Six months was spent whenECO was first introducedunderstanding the proceduresand assessing the viability of thefunding.

This work was essentiallyabortive when the ECOobligation was dramaticallyreduced.... Any new schemewill require greater simplicityand lighter regulation topromote wider uptake.”

Fiverecommendationsto get more done1. Residents and landlords should

share both the costs and thebenefits of more energyefficient homes. Thesignificantly lower bills that flowfrom building and retrofitting tohigh standards should bereflected in a higher ‘living rent’that allows landlords to recoupsome of the costs.

2. A standard on overheatingshould be developed to reducethe risk to tenants. At-riskgroups are vulnerable to achanging climate and retrofitworks can exacerbate theproblem if not done right.

3. Landlords should reach outbeyond their front door anduse their experience andexpertise to help deliver costeffective, area-based energyefficiency projects acrosstenures, starting in low incomeareas. As part of this, restrictionson energy efficiency fundingthat benefits social housingresidents should be lifted.

4. Make new zero carbon homeswork for existing ones.‘Allowable solutions’ will enabledevelopers to offset the last fewyards by paying a carbon tax.Proceeds from this should bering-fenced to retrofit existinghomes.

5. Landlords should usestandards such as the HomeQuality Mark as a framework tobuild high quality, sustainablehomes. The Home Quality Markhas a particular focus on skillsand performance checks duringand after the build process,which can only help reduce the‘performance gap’. It also helpsensure wider sustainabilityincluding use of sustainablematerials and ecology.

“ECO as it currently stands is ofno use where our homes are...we no longer consider it”

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We hope you have enjoyed this report. SHIFT landlordscontinue to work hard to reduce fuel bills and reduce theirenvironmental impacts. Here you have seen a fraction oftheir work. We welcome feedback on the report and detailsof those that would like to collaborate to help us all.

Measure, Compare, Improve

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A2Dominion

Advance Housing & Support

Amicus Horizon

Beechwood Ballantyne Com. HA(Symphony)

Bolton at Home

Broadland Housing Group

Bromford Group

Cartrefi Conwy

Catalyst Housing

Central & Cecil HT

City West Homes

Cobalt Housing (Symphony)

Contour Homes (Symphony)

Croydon Churches HA

Derwentside Homes

Eastlands Homes

First Wessex

Flagship

Genesis

Great Yarmouth Community Housing

Green Square

Halton Housing

Hanover

Hastoe

Havebury Housing Partnership

Hexagon

Home Group

Housing Plus

Hundred Houses Society

Hyndburn Homes (Symphony)

Islington & Shoreditch

L&Q

Isos Housing Group

LHT (Symphony)

Liverpool Mutual Homes

livin

mhs homes

Midland Heart

Mosscare Housing

New Charter Housing Trust

Northwards Housing

North Wales Housing

Nottingham City Homes

Nottingham Community HA

Octavia

Peak Valley HA (Symphony)

Plus Dane

The Regenda Group

Ribble Valley Homes (Symphony)

RHP

Riverside

Rochdale Boroughwhide Housing

Rosebery Housing Association

Sanctuary Group

South Yorkshire Housing Association

Spectrum Housing Group

Staffordshire Housing

Stockport Homes

Swan Housing Association

Thrive Homes

Trafford Housing Trust

Trident

Wigan & Leigh Housing

Yarlington Housing Group

Yorkshire Housing

Your Homes Newcastle

Acknowledgements SHIFT would like to acknowledge the support of our partners

This report is kindly sponsored by

We would also like to acknowledge the support of SHIFT landlords

SHIFT partners

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© 2015 Sustainable Homes. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in anyform or by any means, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from thecopyright holders.

We take reasonable steps to check the accuracy of data presented in this report, however, no warranty is made as to the reliability orcompleteness of this report and it should not be relied upon as the basis for professional or financial advice.

This report was printed on FSC paper Designed by BroadgateCreative.co.uk

If you have any feedback on this report please do not hesitate to get in contact: 020 8973 0429 [email protected]

Why join?Organisations sign up to do SHIFTfor a variety of reasons. AchievingSHIFT accreditation allows you todemonstrate your environmentalcredentials to funders, partnersand regulators, and differentiateyourself from your peers. It canhelp reduce fuel poverty andimprove the financial resilience oforganisations and customers.Organisations that achieve SHIFT accreditation become partof an exclusive network that gets a range of additional benefitsfrom Sustainable Homes, including exclusive events, input tolobbying campaigns, offers from SHIFT partners, discounts fortraining courses and tailored support and advice.

And of course, SHIFT helps you improve the quality of life ofyour residents and staff through higher quality homes andoffices.

100% said they wouldrecommend SHIFT to others

90% said SHIFT improved theirreputation

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