Housing Industry Leaders June Edition

Climate Action Wales: Engaging the Public for a Greener Future

Embracing the Housing of Tomorrow with Smart Home Technology Passiv UK Unveil its Latest Innovation: The Passiv Smart Thermostat Driving a Better Digital Experience for Housing Association Customers

FOREWORD

Welcome to the latest edition of Housing Industry Leaders Magazine, a premier source of insight and innovation for professionals shaping the future of the housing sector. As we navigate a rapidly evolving landscape, marked by technological advancements, shifting economic conditions, and changing consumer preferences, our industry stands at a pivotal crossroads.

“Ahead of the Housing Cymru Conference, we explore the biggest projects”

This issue delves into the themes that are redefining our field. From sustainable building practices and smart home technologies to urban development trends and policy changes, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview that equips you with the knowledge to stay ahead in this dynamic environment. The housing market has always been a cornerstone of economic stability and social well-being. Today, it faces unprecedented challenges and opportunities. The global push for sustainability urges us to rethink our approaches, integrating green technologies and eco-friendly materials into our projects.

Floyd March Editor

Paul Rose Graphic Designer

Hannah Wintle Multi Media Journalist

How to Utilise Resources for Healthy Homes

Despite being a product designed to improve energy efficiency in the home, many insulation materials in use today come at the cost of quite a carbon intensive manufacturing process.

On the run up to Housing Industry Leaders Cymru 2024, Ruth Marie Mackrodt, Director of Wool Insulation Wales, shared her insights into how biobased materials could offer a more climate-friendly alternative.

Today, the vast majority of the insulation methods utilised in housing fall into two broad categories: organic, which includes petrol oil based, and inorganic, such as insulation made from rocks and glass.

“Both of those types of material,” Ruth explained, “have a massively high carbon footprint, and the fact is that in the UK at the moment, the built environment accounts for approximately 30% of the UK’s total carbon emissions.

“Of that figure, a third of that, so around 10% of the UK’s total emissions are the carbon emissions from the building products we use. I mean, that is a huge, huge figure for one manufacturing industry.”

With the oldest housing stock in the UK and likely the world, according to a 2020 report by the BRE Trust, the UK’s properties are quicker to leak heat and therefore require more materials to insulate them to make them energy efficient.

This, combined with the current housing need in the UK, means that the construction industry is under immense pressure to find suitable ways to reduce their carbon emissions.

WOOL IS ABUNDANT, HEALTHY, AND ADEPT AT INSULATION

Having evolved with the specific purpose to insulate over the course of around ten thousand years, the domestic sheep’s wool is not only an effective insulator during the winter months, but is actually better at keeping homes cool in summer.

Ruth Marie explained: “In a time of a warming climate, [keeping homes cool] is an issue because the whole point of insulation, whether in summer or winter, is to keep the people who live in that place as comfortable as possible for as long a time as possible, for as little energy expenditure as possible.”

An additional and important benefit of using wool insulation is the material’s ability to handle moisture, making it an effective solution against the risk of damp and mould.

While the external part of a wool fibre is hydrophobic, meaning it repels water in liquid form, the internal part of a wool fibre is hygroscopic and has the capacity to absorb water vapour in times of high humidity and expel it in times of low humidity, reducing the risk of damp and mould.

This is especially important when it comes to historic buildings. Wales has the oldest housing stock in the UK, largely due to the volume of homes built during the industrial revolution.

“Hygroscopic materials have been used for hundreds of thousands of years, and they are still the recommended type of material for historic buildings,” Ruth Marie explained.

“They need that breathability, because if you put non-hygroscopic materials in in an older building it doesn’t breathe, so all this humidity just gets stuck, which wets the building fabric and creates mould.”

In addition, wool is an effective air cleaner, with the ability to absorb formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds from the air and thus reducing the associated health risks.

BUILDING ROBUST SUPPLY CHAINS NOW IS ESSENTIAL TO SUPPORTING WOOL INSULATION’S UPTAKE

“It is clear that unless we fundamentally change the materials that we use to build and to retrofit with, construction’s contribution to the UK’s carbon footprint is going to increase, not decrease.”

In the hopes that wool insulation will be more commonplace in the coming years in line with regulatory changes around carbon pricing, Ruth Marie emphasised the need to support the development of appropriate supply chains.

Despite Brexit, she alluded to the UK’s inclination to follow EU trends and policies, and with embodied carbon increasingly on the European radar, our insulation techniques are likely a key consideration going forwards.

“If you look at what’s happening in parts of Europe, there is an element of carbon pricing coming in. It may not be in the UK in the next three years or even the next five years, but within ten years, the industry will be forced to think about embodied carbon, which is actually a really good reason for it to start to support those supply chains now.

“You cannot expect the low-carbon building material industry to go along as this sort of small, tiny, you know, specialist part of the industry, and then suddenly we’re expected to supply everybody.

“It’s really important to build the support and the strength and the breadth of those bio-based materials and low-carbon materials in the supply chain, because when regulation cuts things off, you need those robust supply chains in place.”

A gradual increase of support led by vital policy decisions could facilitate this change and ensure that by the time Wales and the wider UK looks to embrace wool insulation, the industry is ready to deliver.

WALES HAS THE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAILBLAZE THE INDUSTRY

With around ten million sheep in the country, which is more than three times the population, Wales is strategically positioned to make the most of wool’s potential.

Currently, it costs farmers around £1.30 to shear a single sheep, but the resulting fleece only returns 30p, meaning farmers are losing approximately one pound for every sheep sheared in Wales.

Ruth Marie said: “There’s already a drag on the Welsh economy through wool, so the more we can use it, you automatically begin to close that drag because you drive the price up a bit.”

As well as entering a new market and expanding the use of wool, which ensures greater returns for farmers and the Welsh economy at large, there is opportunity to promote Welsh wool on the global stage.

Ruth Marie pointed out that due to Wales having more sheep than the USA and Canada combined, there is a significant export market potential ready for the taking.

While the country is already renowned for its abundance of sheep, maximising the use of wool, a meticulously designed natural resource that up to 90% of is buried in Europe each year, could not only generate significant economic return, but help make progress towards meeting climate deadlines.

It is almost indecent to use petroleum-based insulations to try and help solve a problem that has been caused by the petroleum industry.

To learn more about wool insulation, join Ruth Marie Mackrodt at Housing Industry Leaders

2024 on 11 July, where she’ll participate in a panel discussion around heritage and the move towards bio-based materials.

Cymru

Embracing the Housing of Tomorrow with Smart Home Technology

Whether it’s monitoring energy consumption, improving home security, or turning the lights on, technology is advancing the properties into a modern age where smart homes are the norm.

To understand the varied picture of smart technology, Housing Industry Leaders heard from some of the industry professionals driving forward digital advancements that are shaping the smart homes of the future.

IS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ENERGY BECOMING DIGITISED?

With efforts to combat climate change picking up pace, and the decarbonisation of homes high on the government’s agenda, utilising technology to better harness and control our energy consumption is becoming something of a movement in the housing sector.

Backed by £5.3 million in government funding, SMS recently embarked on a smart homes trial in Oxfordshire that aims to help households use energy more efficiently.

Tom Woolley, director at SMS, explained: “In harnessing the power of digital energy data from smart metres, housing industry leaders can revolutionise the tenant and homeowner experience.

“Through our innovative mobile energy app, we’re working with Oxfordshire County Council to engage local residents, offering consumers tailored insights and recommendations to increase understanding of energy use and enabling them to start their low-carbon journey by providing access to affordable, subscription-based green technologies.

“Through engaging, educating and empowering homeowners through energy data, we can pave the way for a greener future while delivering unparalleled value to our communities.”

Innovations in smart technology may also ensure reliability in a home’s energy supply, something which Northern Gas Networks is seeking to address.

Jen Fenner, co-founder and managing director, DefProc Engineering, who are working with Northern Gas Networks to develop a Smart Gas Pressure Sensor, explained that the device: “Will significantly reduce disruption to homes when network supply is lost.

“It is a low-powered computer device that monitors pressure at the point of supply to provide real-time notifications to gas networks and residents when there is a problem.

“Smart Gas is the next step for gas networks to monitor the fuel coming into our homes and ensure it’s being delivered safely and reliably.”

TECHNOLOGY CAN ENHANCE HOUSEHOLD SECURITY

Furthermore, where safety features in general are concerned, smart technology has an increasingly important role to play. Res Digital, a leading provider of safety software, is transforming access management systems with a modern approach to security that prioritises flexibility and security.

With over two decades of experience in enhancing worksite security, Res Digital has become a market leader in smart door access technology

Director Robin Hind said: “Multi-occupancy property managers often find that a one-size-fitsall product isn’t suitable. Every building has unique access requirements that necessitate a customised approach.

Features such as HD video calling, resident access via mobile phones, remote entry management and real-time audit trails provide property managers with a suite of services that significantly improve security while enhancing the user experience.

“The smart door access technology we design and install is not only bespoke but incorporates advanced features that are rarely available in offthe-shelf alternatives.

“The ability to set different permissions for visitors and service providers allows users to remotely grant access to maintenance contractors only for the required duration. They can do this all without leaving their desks.”

HOW CAN WE MOVE TOWARDS A WHOLE HOUSE APPROACH?

Thanks to the influx of digital devices promising to make our home lives more efficient, each with its own user interface and app, residents are left with multiple plates to spin when it comes to controlling their smart home technology.

To combat this, and simplify the user’s experience when it comes to operating each device, thoughts are turning to how these devices should communicate, and even work together, to create an integrated digital atmosphere throughout the home.

Highlighting this, Lucy Han, EVP, Building and Home Automation at ABB Electrification’s Smart Buildings explained: “Homeowners seek smart home solutions that connect their devices, regardless of brand.

“That’s why we provide interoperable solutions that seamlessly integrate with third-party devices, domestic appliances, electric vehicle (EV) chargers, heat pumps, photovoltaic (PV) systems, and more.

“Importantly, they want to control all these devices from a single, easy-to-use interface. Through our global partnerships, like Samsung Electronics, we provide centralised control at different levels. Together, we deliver a holistic smart home and property management platform for seamless integration and control.”

To further the potential of the smart devices already in place in peoples’ homes, configuring their connection to each other could facilitate a seamless integration and improved user experience.

“For smart home devices to have maximum impact on residents’ lives, they must be able to communicate with each other,” Brian Bishop, President of the Open Connectivity Foundation, commented.

“Security video systems may recognise a resident’s car pulling into the driveway and automatically tell other devices to put on the heating, lights and preheat the oven.

“To enable this interconnectivity, smart home devices must be built using open standards with specifications that ensure ethical use of data. This enables devices to speak the same language, delivering residents a truly connected smart home experience with the trust that their data will be used appropriately.”

Echoing these sentiments, Lino Notaro, Retail Sales Director at TP-Link UK, summarised, offering an insight into the future of smart home technology.

He said: “Consumers can expect a more unified and automated smart home ecosystem, with different devices connecting and working in harmony, all controlled via a central application for ease and simplicity.

“As manufacturers roll out more devices, consumers can be more selective about the products they purchase - with the option to look beyond any ‘go-to’ brands for more cost-effective alternatives that do not sacrifice compatibility or require them to upgrade an entire suite of smart home gadgets.”

The vast array of digital smart home technologies on offer today are already enhancing the home experience through energy savings, improved security, and all-round convenience, but the potential as to where this technology might go through true integration paints an exciting picture of the smart housing of tomorrow.

With no signs of the efforts to digitise housing slowing down, the advancement of smart devices in our homes could continue to shape the sector, and revolutionise the way we cohabit with technology now, and into the future.

Driving a Better Digital Experience for Housing Association Customers

Housing associations (HAs) have been on a digitisation drive for several years. As with any sector-wide digital transformations, some organisations prove to be early adopters, while others take more time to make change happen. Whatever stage your HA has reached on its digital transformation journey, the switch to become ‘digital first’ is a priority. This is due to several pressing factors:

Customers demanding seamless digital experiences - on all types of devices, especially mobile

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 putting pressure on HAs to embrace the idea of building communities

A greater societal focus on aspects of health and wellbeing; from personal finance to children’s’ and adults’ lifestyles

Mergers between many smaller HAs, meaning they require new platforms, websites, apps and other digital products.

Digital transformation will continue to play a major part in successfully modernising delivery of services and improving how customers access them. Forward-thinking HAs are already cementing their future by calling on technology to boost:

f Digital experience

f Customer self-service

f Cloud solutions

f Data migration

f Cybersecurity

These are all service areas MMT’s experts are standing by to provide. Below, we take a closer look at each of these aspects of digital transformation and discover how they can drive a better experience for customers and value for the organisation.

DIGITAL EXPERIENCE

According to research by Inside Housing magazine and Futr conducted in 2023, 80% of HAs saw a rise in demand for digitised services from their customers during an 18-month period.

In part, this is due to the younger demographic of new HA customers. As digital natives, they expect to be able to interact with organisations using platforms that include Facebook and WhatsApp; and they are increasingly mobile first.

As a result, the same share of HAs - 80% - say their focus on digital transformation has increased. Yet 50% of the respondents also reveal they are yet to begin implementing such a strategy.

With the current spike in demand for HA properties likely to lead to even greater calls for digital customer service, organisations can’t afford to stand still in the battle to build better digital experiences. In this industry, tenders are reviewed often and competition is fierce.

Meanwhile, there’s a groundswell towards creating a ‘sense of place’: HAs are marketing specific developments for a highly targeted audience, so digital communication is a key brick in overall brand building.

CUSTOMER SELF-SERVICE

Of course, one of the key drivers of demand for a better digital experience among HA customers is their quest for convenience.

The market is pointing towards creation of these independent, standalone brands. As part of MSQ, MMT has the data and insight at our fingertips to join forces with our digital expertise and ensure HAs tap into this trend, by successfully engaging their key audiences.

Max Lucas-Drysdale

Housing Association industry expert, MMT

MMT excels at creating digital customer experiences to be proud of, baking in strategy, UX and product design, engineering and technology.

Published in 2023 by the UK government, the results of a major survey found that nearly one in five (17%) HA customers were unhappy with the level of service provided by the organisation managing their accommodation.

Chief among their issues is the time taken to respond to queries - or complaints. Making digital channels a key pillar of customer service for self-service and dialogue should seem a given, but in another survey 45% of HAs admit they’re underinvesting in this area.

There’s lots of evidence across sectors to show that self-service channels are now expected by customers. With 77% of them saying it improves their relationship with an organisation there’s no excuse for not reviewing provision. This could encompass everything from maintenance queries to payment management.

Increasingly, this includes integrating your portal with other digital solutions such as CRM and marketing tools, rethinking your UX journeys and website features.

This offers a conversion boost and is a great alternative to simply publishing lots of content on the site and expecting people to track down what they need.

Speak to MMT’s experts about re-engineering or designing from scratch a digital self-service portal that can take customer satisfaction to the next level.

CLOUD SOLUTIONS

There are multiple benefits for HAs which move their systems to the cloud. These include cost savings associated with on-premise servers, removal of the need to handle multiple software contracts, and improved cybersecurity.

As 50% of HAs told the Inside Housing study that their organisation doesn’t possess all of the digital skills and resource required to get cloud-based operations up and running, it’s often necessary to source external experts.

MMT’s cloud systems engineers are highly experienced in developing, operating and maintaining cloud computing systems and solutions for modern, connected organisations.

Taking care of optimisation, standardisation and governance of cloud computing applications is how we make cloud computing easy for you and your digital teams.

DATA MIGRATION

HAs claim that poor data quality is the secondbiggest barrier to providing a better digital experience to their customers, behind only the lack of in-house skills and resources mentioned above.

Moving a company’s databases to the cloud can be complex - but there are big rewards for getting it right. MMT takes away the challenges from data migration by using best practice and cloud migration frameworks to streamline the process and deliver results quickly.

We conduct analysis of technical and business needs, assess risks, and provide the roadmap to deliver migration services in optimal time, with a focus on bringing value to your business.

Our strategic approach to digital product iterations ensures users are brought on the journey, and are joined by others.

CYBERSECURITY

HAs have a huge amount of customer data in their systems. That level of information is highly attractive to cyber criminals.

In 2022, one large HA in the UK suffered a cybersecurity breach via a suspected malware attack. The organisation said that the incident affected phone lines and other IT systems, and it advised residents not to make contact by phone unless they needed an emergency repair. Unfortunately, such incidents are growing in prevalence across sectors. It’s not a matter of whether systems will come under attack, but when.

To ensure your HA is doing all it can to keep customers’ information safe, speak to MMT’s cybersecurity experts. We’ll help to protect your computer systems and networks from information disclosure or damage of hardware, software or data. When a network is secured, potential threats are blocked from entering it or spreading to others.

Better digital experience is a positive outcome of wider, complex digital transformations. And the bedrock of long-term success, bringing together all of the requirements outlined above, is technology enablement. Brick by brick, transformational technology is building the best possible digital experience, and our experienced team is here to help.

“HAs need a clear roadmap from the outset, along with regular reviews. This ensures the plan is aligned to business objectives, and no stakeholders are left out or deadlines missed. Just as important is getting regular customer insights - so that you know services which are promised and expected are actually available and being used.”

Mike Postle Product Lead, MMT

you deliver more energy efficient & environmentally friendly homes

Providing access to innovative, market-ready, energy efficient solutions for the domestic housing sector to help you meet carbon reduction challenges.

With challenging government carbon emissions targets & limited budgets, we understand the pressures faced by social housing providers to meet regulations & provide energy efficient, warmer affordable homes.

We’ll connect you with retrofit professionals and innovative green tech businesses that have low cost, easy to implement solutions to meet your needs.

Available solutions include: We can also help with access to available local or national funding streams.

CLIMATE ACTION WALES

Engaging the Public for a Greener Future

Tackling climate change, while high on governmental agendas the world over, is an all-encompassing issue that requires the efforts of the public to make adequate progress. In Wales, engaging people to make changes and reduce their own carbon footprint has led to the development of Climate Action Wales, a communications platform that provides guidance on how these steps can be taken.

At a foundational level, Climate Action Wales seeks to address the findings of the UK’s Climate Change Committee’s 2022 Progress in Reducing Emissions report, which stated that a staggering 62% of the actions required to abate carbon emissions by 2035 involve some form of behaviour change.

Borne out of the commitment to develop a public engagement strategy that involves the public in the transition to net zero, the programme focuses on two key aims:

1. To engage the public and communities throughout Wales in decision-making, including policy-making.

2. To communicate in such a way that builds knowledge and encourages action to help tackle climate change.

While each focus tackles a unique aspect of the climate journey that Wales is undertaking, the two goals are inextricably linked. It is hoped that the more the public engage in decision-making and become involved in new policy development, the more likely people are to understand climate change and want to get involved themselves.

SIGNIFICANT WORK HAS GONE INTO BUILDING THE CLIMATE ACTION WALES PLATFORM AND OVERCOMING BARRIERS

Delivering effective communications to encourage and facilitate the public’s climate-friendly choices is an important asset to the government on the road to net zero.

However, Climate Action Wales is more than a communications platform: extensive work has been undertaken over the last two years to build the foundations of the programme, including a thorough and ongoing social research campaign which tracks people’s knowledge, attitudes, behaviours, barriers, and motivations to making green home energy choices.

Key findings show that the biggest barriers involve cost, such as the initial upfront investment involved in moving to renewable energy systems, a lack of trusted information compiled in once place, and in some cases, limited understanding as to the importance of combatting climate change.

Following their social research, the Government worked with the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) and liaised with a panel of behavioural scientists.

The ORP is setting out the steps to decarbonise the Welsh housing sector

In reviewing the extensive qualitative and quantitative research undertaken, they considered how communications and public engagement could make a difference to people’s home energy behaviours, determine which actions should be asked of people based on the barriers at play, and establish how to optimise communications where appropriate.

4 GREEN CHOICES HAVE BEEN OUTLINED IN THE STRATEGY

To enable behavioural change and encourage climate-friendly action, 4 Green Choices have been identified through the programme. These are:

1. GREEN HOME ENERGY CHOICES

f Reducing energy consumption.

f Home upgrade choices.

2. GREEN TRANSPORT CHOICES

f Driving less; taking up active travel and public transport.

f Electric vehicle adoption.

They found that there are inconsistencies across the public in terms of where people are in their decarbonisation efforts, that there is a greater willingness to adopt some lower impact actions, and more work needs to be done to warm people up to the higher impact actions, so as to prepare them for a time when these become more mainstream.

These are the hurdles that Climate Action Wales strives to overcome through their governmentled platform which helps to build a knowledge base that is accessible to everyone, with actions spanning from those that most people could commit to, and some which may be more challenging or costly but achievable for some.

3. GREEN FOOD CHOICES

f Reducing food waste.

f Healthier eating and sustainable food choices.

4. GREEN CONSUMPTION CHOICES

f Shopping sustainably.

f Using less, reusing, repairing and recycling

A particular emphasis is placed upon the cobenefits of action, with the financial implications of climate friendly practices hoped to encourage the public to make the behavioural changes necessary.

When it comes to decarbonising housing specifically, the programme compiles a wealth of knowledge and advice for how to reduce energy consumption, make switches to renewable energy technologies, and improve insulation.

As well as reducing carbon emissions, benefits cited include reduced energy bills, increased home value, and improved health and wellbeing in the local community.

THE 5 Es THAT DEFINE CLIMATE ACTION WALES’ APPROACH TO MAKING GREENER CHOICES

To best engage the public in climate efforts, Climate Action Wales identified a five-pronged approach, known as the 5 Es, which seeks to deliver the aforementioned aims throughout the nation.

Firstly, the Welsh Government seeks to Exemplify the actions required to make positive strides towards net zero by demonstrating green behaviours, in the hopes to inspire the public to follow suit.

For example, the Optimised Retrofit Programme demonstrates the actions already being undertaken in social homes to decarbonise, and reinforces the benefits of retrofitting to other types of households.

Climate Action Wales also continuously strives to Encourage people to make everyday changes

Further, to best Enable the public to overcome barriers to action, Climate Action Wales are committed to understanding what these are, whether they be capability, opportunity, or motivational barriers, and subsequently offer the appropriate support required to facilitate green choices.

Where policy is concerned, the goal to Engage people in decision-making will ensure that the public point of view is represented when it comes to tackling climate change, and that they are actively involved in important policy updates.

Climate Action Wales also continuously strives to Encourage people to make everyday changes through building knowledge and creating new social norms, so that society as a whole feels capable of making the changes together.

Finally, in an effort to Evaluate the progress made so far and share the impact of actions, the public will come to understand the positive differences, such as to their lives, costs, and the wider environment, that come as a result of making these changes.

THE CLIMATE CONVERSATIONS FUND FACILITATES FURTHER WORKSHOPS AND DISCUSSIONS

In line with Welsh Climate Action Week, which is held each November, community engagement fund has been established to enable organisations to hold focussed outreach and engagement activities on specific topics within communities.

The Climate Conversations Fund is prioritised towards marginalised groups and low income households, and allows organisations and housing associations to host events with their own networks in line with the theme of Climate Action Week, which this year will be ‘Shaping a Climate Resilient Future’. Further information on the fund, including how to apply, will be made available in summer.

Looking to the future, Climate Action Wales also hopes to establish partnerships across the industry to collaborate, leverage expertise, and jointly engage with the public with the hopes to encourage further climate-friendly actions.

To hear more about Climate Action Wales and the work being done to decarbonise the Welsh housing stock, join the Welsh Government, housing associations, local authorities, and the wider supply chain in Cardiff on 11 July, at our Housing Industry Leaders Cymru conference.

BEFORE OUR EYES:

Raising awareness through the power of celebrity

In perhaps her most believable and emotional role to date, Oscar winning actor Olivia Colman successfully duped UK audiences earlier this year into thinking that a gripping new TV drama would be gracing their screens. The plot twist – it wasn’t a drama, but in fact depicted real life for millions up and down the country.

Also starring multi award winning actor and director Adrian Lester, the pair teamed up with Amnesty International to tell the harrowing tale of Grace, a fictional baby who has died due to the unsuitable living conditions she and her mother Anna have had to endure after being evicted from their home and placed into temporary accommodation.

The trailer, in which Colman plays ex-lawyer Mary, who is seeking justice for baby Grace, ends with the two leads addressing the audience directly. Looking into the lens of the camera, Colman states: “This isn’t drama. This is real life.”

“Human rights in the UK are under threat. It’s time to tune in,” adds Lester, who plays the council worker that Anna repeatedly complains to regarding her living situation.

After being posted on social media at the start of the year, the trailer gripped online audiences, before it was finally revealed that while the TV drama would never air, the experiences it depicted are ongoing.

To learn more about the campaign and the work being done to combat unsuitable living conditions such as the trailer depicts, Housing Industry Leaders spoke to Jen Clark, Amnesty International UK’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Lead.

She said: “I think it’s easy to stigmatise people who are living in social housing or facing poverty and inequality. When stories come to light about the real living conditions or the risks that people are facing, and how powerless they are to get out of a particular situation where they might be facing a risk, I do think it does change the public’s mindset.

“That’s one of the reasons why we wanted to bring a real story to life, so it’s relatable, it’s not just facts and figures and statistics.”

A FICTIONAL

TALE INSPIRED BY NUMEROUS TRUE STORIES

While Anna and Grace’s story in the trailer is fictional, it was designed to reflect the very real instances of housing inequality that many in the UK are currently experiencing.

In recent years, the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in Rochdale sent shockwaves rippling throughout the UK as it was revealed that his living conditions had directly caused his fatal respiratory condition.

What’s more, The National Child Mortality Database recently reported that 55 children died between April 2019 and March 2023, with temporary accommodation deemed to be a contributing factor in their deaths.

To capture the true nature of stories such as these, Amnesty worked with 37-year-old, mother of two ‘Charlotte Beecham’ from Birmingham, whose name has been changed to protect her identity. She recounted her experiences of homelessness and temporary accommodation, and explained how mould and damp had led her children to develop asthma and eczema.

“I wanted to work with Amnesty in the making of this film to show how things really are and this film shows how it is for real, for thousands of people,” Charlotte said.

After being made homeless at 18, Charlotte and her children were moved around a number of times, from a flat, to a hotel, to a house. Each came with its own set of unhealthy circumstances including damp and mould, antisocial behaviour, and vermin.

“The system still feels, “oh you’re homeless because you’ve done it to yourself - not interested”. They’re still blaming the person, and see people as homeless because they’re taking drugs, drinking alcohol, or because they made a bad decision,” she said.

“That’s not the case - but that’s the narrative they’re still pushing. Nine times out of ten someone is homeless because they are a vulnerable person being taken advantage of.”

73% of people think that the right to housing should be protected as a human right.

Charlotte concluded: “I have had to fight injustice ever since I was a child, and I will continue to fight until homelessness has been eradicated and people are treated equally.”

Speaking of Charlotte’s involvement in the project, Jen said: “She helped us with the scripting of it to make it look like a real-life situation.

“We also worked with somebody who works in civil society that’s almost a Olivia Colman type character, to talk us through what those emotions would be like. We felt it was really important to bring that lived experience into the process.”

AMPLIFYING THE ISSUE THROUGH THE POWER OF CELEBRITY

In bringing this particular issue to the forefront of public consciousness, Jen explained how stylising it as a drama was a unique approach for Amnesty.

The aim, she explained, was to raise the issue in a way the public are familiar and comfortable with, and in particular, something you would expect to see Oliva Colman and Adrian Lester starring in.

Jen added that utilising the celebrity of the two stars to endorse such a message made it possible to reach a wider audience: “[Colman and Lester] are instrumental in helping us to shine a light on human rights violations internationally, but in the UK as well.

“What’s really important to us is that they offer us an opportunity to share their platform and to use their influence and incredible talent to fight human rights violations that often go unheard.”

We’re hugely grateful to Olivia Colman. This isn’t the first thing that she’s done with us, and she’s such a generous supporter of our work.

THE CAMPAIGN HAS FACILITATED CONVERSATIONS AROUND CHANGE

Designed to capture attention, the trailer certainly achieved the desired effect, with reports of cinema audiences gasping at the reveal, and the campaign being shared extensively on social media.

“We had a really positive reaction. We were able to get it on the news, and on social media it’s been shared extensively,” Jen said.

“We’ve been really pleased with the pick-up of it. Lots of people are talking about how terrible this is and that’s what we wanted. We wanted people to think about these things differently.”

With an overall aim of raising awareness, Amnesty are continuing to explore ways to further spotlight this issue, with the end goal being to protect these human rights in law.

Since the campaign, Jen said: “We’ve had lots of organisations getting in touch as well that usually work on these issues, but don’t necessarily use the language of human rights to think about what they can do as well.

“This is a starting point to our broader work on economic, social, and cultural rights, and we will continue to try and place the spotlight on the human rights violations so that we can continue to make a case for these rights to be incorporated into some kind of legislation like they are doing in Scotland.”

Last year, the Scottish Government launched a consultation on a new Human Rights Bill for Scotland, which includes a right to a healthy environment, and an equality clause to ensure equal access to the rights contained within the Bill.

Jen concluded: “There are things that we all agree with and we want the government to do something about it, and so the first step is awareness and the second step is activation and calling for change.

“Housing officers, for example, we know that people go into those jobs because they care and they want to make a change and in some places they’re powerless or they feel powerless, but they don’t have to be. We can all speak up for change.”

Watch Before Our Eyes below:

Passiv UK has recently unveiled its latest innovation, the Passiv Smart Thermostat. The Passiv Smart Thermostat is the first smart thermostat designed specifically for controlling heat pumps and is the result of over 10 years of R&D in low-carbon heating.

The Passiv Smart Thermostat makes heat pump control simple and can reduce heating bills by 30%.

The Energy Saving Trust verified that it increases the Coefficient of Performance (COP) of a heat pump by 17% and it can also optimise to time-ofuse tariffs and rooftop solar generation.

The Passiv Smart Thermostat is the first in a new generation of smarter heating controls. Once installed, it learns how a home heats up and cools down and how a heating system behaves.

It then uses local weather forecasts to calculate the optimal way to meet a homeowner’s comfort requirements with smart preheating, while continuously optimising the heat pump’s flow temperature to maximise its COP.

BRINGING TECHNOLOGY TOGETHER FOR A SIMPLE SOLUTION

The Passiv Smart Thermostat is made up of the Passiv app, Thermostat, Programmer, and Hub, which together provide simple, smart control of heating and hot water using either the in-home devices or remotely on a smartphone.

Working without access to the internet is a key requirement for the new-build market. Other smart thermostats require an internet connection to be set up and access to a smartphone app, which can make them unsuitable for many homes.

For installers, the new product makes a heat pump installation simpler. In addition to removing the need to set a weather compensation curve, the Passiv Smart Thermostat features wired or wireless thermostats and a built-in, push-fit wiring centre to speed up heat pump installation.

The product can be commissioned in two minutes using only the Programmer, which also guides the homeowner through registering for the Passiv app for a quick and simple handover process.

GREENER GRID PAYMENTS CAN SAVE TENANTS UP TO £100

The Passiv Smart Thermostat also enables heat pump users to participate in Greener Grid Payments. Greener Grid Payments is the UK’s first automated Demand Side Response (DSR) service for heat pump owners, allowing them to get paid for using their heat pumps.

The Passiv Smart Thermostat automatically responds to signals based on the needs of the wider electricity network, reducing demand whilst using smart preheating to make sure the home doesn’t noticeably cool down.

60% of callbacks were because of controls not being set correctly, so it is a massive wider benefit here for installers.

Speaking to Housing Industry Leaders, Will Heinzelmann, Product Director at Passiv UK, explained: “Through this product, you’ve got better efficiency use of the heat pump, time of use and solar optimisation, which all together can reduce bills by up to 30 per cent.

On top of that, greener grid payments can bring bills down by a further £100

One of the negatives of smart thermostats in social housing is the requirement for a smart app, which assumes tenants have a smartphone and access to the internet. However, in reality, Lloyds Bank UK Consumer Digital Index, 2021 found that 1.5m UK households have no internet access.

“So, we realised early that a passiv programmer allows you to set the times and temperatures without the need for an app. People can reap the benefits of a smart thermostat without that need for additional assets to use it.

Another key thing is simplifying the installation of a heat pump and of the smart thermostat. That has another knock-on effect on the installer. When installing the heat pump there is no need to set a weather compensation curve, which massively reduces the chance of error and takes the ‘guess work’ out of installing a heat pump.

Will explained: “This can be a really difficult thing to set, so it is often just being set at a fixed flow temp. Without the compensation curve, the heat pump costs stay high.

“The thermostat takes out the guesswork of setting compensation curves and helps improve efficiencies and costs by setting it dynamically. Each home in the UK is built slightly differently so we can always deliver the perfect comfort level.”

Bringing together the Welsh Government, local authorities, housing associations, the wider stakeholder community and the supply

chain

Housing Industry Leaders Cymru 2024 will bring together the Welsh Government, local authorities, housing associations, the wider stakeholder community and the supply chain to discuss their vision for the future and how the sector will support the needs of its citizens.

The event will provide a platform for current policies, plans, priorities and projects to be discussed in an open forum, discussing the challenges faced and the opportunities available in a thought provoking way.

ISSUES

Engaging with local authorities and housing associations delivering Scotland’s housing agenda

• Housing to 2040 – setting out the vision for housing

• Affordable home supply, continuing to work closely with partners to deliver affordable homes

• Building vibrant places, helping create places people want to live, work, and bring up families

• Reducing energy consumption in the home

• How innovative thinking and new technologies will shape the future

Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow

27 November 2024