Housing Industry Leaders Issue 13

NHF: All Social Housing Stock in England Should be Audited

New audit models would give a better overview of existing stock

As a new dawn emerges for the vision of UK housing, recent reports and policy announcements are welcomed news for all working in the industry. Housing Industry Leaders explores what this means for housebuilders and tenants in the UK.

In this issue, Housing Industry Leaders analyses how Project 1000 is tackling Bristol’s housing crisis, whether zero per cent interest green borrowing will incentivise private sector retrofits, and how the housing sector is encouraging young people into the planning sector.

With a specific focus on how the social housing sector can expand its housing stock faster, Housing Industry Leaders dives into the most topical discussions and debates about the future of the housing industry.

housingindustryleaders.com

Floyd March

f.march@peloton-events.co.uk

Contents

P.4

Homes England New Strategic Plan to Focus on Affordable Homes

P.6

Project 1000: Tackling Bristol’s Housing Crisis

P.8

Will Zero Percent Interest Green

Borrowing Incentivise the Private Sector?

P.10

NHF: All Social Housing Stock in England Should be Audited

P.12

Encouraging Young People into The Planning Sector

P.14

Building Good Quality Housing Stock Across Scotland

P.16

Heat Pump Survey Highlights Promising Future for Electric Heating

P.19

Previous Editions

P.20

Housing Cymru Event Highlight

Multimedia Editor

Floyd March

Multimedia Journalist

Chelsea Bailey

Multimedia Journalist

Hannah Wintle

Graphic Designer

Edward Boustred

Homes England New Strategic Plan to Focus on Affordable Homes

by Chelsea Bailey

Homes England has launched a new five-year plan, outlining how it will support communities through delivering more affordable and good quality housing. How will a placespecific approach be used to identify housing supply issues?

The renewed and expanded 2023 to 2028 strategic plan highlights how it is even more important that the UK responds to the challenging economic times and tackles the huge housing crisis that the country has on its hands.

At the heart of the strategy, it sets out how by working with its partners, Homes England can deliver a revitalised built environment across England that serves the needs of all communities.

It also commits Homes England to work in a more place-based way. It will focus on tailoring its powers, funding, expertise, and technical capacity to the specific challenges faced in different parts of England.

Homes England is committed to boosting collaboration in the housing sector

The new strategic plan is broken down into five interconnected strategic objectives that work together to deliver the UK’s mission.

Three of the strategic objectives focus on the distinct but overlapping categories of Home England’s work: Places, homes, and the sector. These reflect the diverse range of interventions that it has already committed to delivering on behalf of the government.

In the new plan, the first of the five objectives outlined is that Home England will encourage vibrant and successful places to be built. This can be done by working with local leaders and other partners to deliver housing-led mixeduse regeneration with a brownfield-first approach.

Following this, Homes England will aim to facilitate the creation of the homes that people need, intervening where necessary to ensure places have enough homes of the right type and tenure.

It will continue to work with affordable housing providers to deliver much-needed new homes, by: Working in partnerships with the DLUHC to provide grant funding and guarantees, supporting the affordable housing sector to access private finance, enabling access to sites for land-led schemes, helping broker partnerships between public and private sector organisations to support the delivery of housing that meets the local need. Building a housing and regeneration sector that works for everyone is a key priority for Homes England. This is crucial for the sector to boost efforts in diversification, partnership working, and innovation.

Homes England will aim to promote the creation of high-quality homes in welldesigned places that reflect community priorities by taking an inclusive and longterm approach.

The last objective is that Homes England aims to enable sustainable homes and places, maximising their positive contribution to the natural environment impact.

Progress towards achieving the strategic objectives will be monitored

Chair of Homes England, Peter Freeman, explained that the new strategic plan will enable the delivery of affordable housing: “There is no doubt that housing plays an enormous role in the wellbeing and prosperity of our country. As an Agency, we firmly believe that affordable, quality homes in well-designed places are key to improving people’s lives. And our updated strategic plan has been designed to enable us to deliver against that.”

The government must do more to support housebuilders, and Peter highlighted that Homes England will be focusing on this collaboration: “Over the next five years, we will continue to work with housebuilders of all shapes and sizes to boost housing supply. But we will also focus on the places those homes sit in, working ever more closely with local leaders and other partners to build communities as well as housing, be it through housing-led, mixeduse regeneration or new settlements.”

This collaboration will help the housing sector as it can be a powerful way of enabling those delivering new homes to share risk, resources, skills and capacity.

To measure Homes England’s performance over the course of the strategic plan period, Homes England has introduced new Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). In the first year of the plan, it will progress implementation of the new KPIs, gather baseline data and set performance targets where relevant.

The KPIs have been selected as the most critical overarching measures to help assess progress towards achieving objectives. These will support Homes England in understanding its performance against its mission and strategic objectives across its full portfolio, track its progress in delivering the programmes it delivers on behalf of the government, and provide evidence to support data-led decision-making.

This is a pivotal moment for Homes England as we reaffirm our role as the Government’s housing and regeneration agency and go even further in helping to create the thriving places of the future.

Peter Freeman Chair of Homes England

Project 1000: Tackling Bristol’s Housing Crisis Changes

by Chelsea Bailey

Bristol City Council’s Project 1000 Affordable Housing Delivery Plan 2022-2025 outlines how the council will meet its ambition to deliver 1000 new affordable homes annually by 2024. With over 16,000 applicants currently on Bristol City Council’s Housing Register, and an estimated 22,261 new affordable homes needed in Bristol over the next 20 years, the council’s priority for housing delivery remains the provision of affordable, rented homes.

It sets out how the council will speed up the delivery of affordable homes to meet its target and shows how the council aims to tackle the climate emergency while building sustainable, balanced communities.

There is no singular solution to tackling the housing crisis

Housing Industry Leaders spoke to Councillor Tom Renhard, Cabinet Member, Housing Delivery & Homes, at Bristol City Council about Project 1000. He explained that there is not one silver bullet to tackling the housing crisis in Bristol and that to do so: “It is going to take multiple routes, partnerships, and investment.”

These routes include direct delivery through the Housing Revenue Account and Goram Homes.

In addition to this, through other affordable housing provider delivery, market delivery, and land disposal by the targeted release to Registered Providers, community groups and other partners.

One of the projects that the council is working on is the Romney House, Lockleaze project. This sees Goram Homes, in partnership with Vistry Group, building 268 new, high-quality homes at Romney House, a brownfield site in north Bristol. Utilising brownfield sites can bring both economic and visual benefits to a community. Currently, brownfield sites exist all over the UK, which means that much of the infrastructure needed for new homes, such as transport links, is already in place. These can help reduce costs and time for developers.

Also, many brownfield sites across the country have abandoned housing, redevelopment of these sites provides an opportunity to increase the supply of new energy-efficient homes.

Expanding on Lockleaze project, the Cllr said that of the 268 homes: “There will be a mixture of social rented homes and shared ownership homes. On that one development, there will be over 90 social rented homes.”

MMC will play a key role in the UK housing sector

As well as addressing the lack of access to affordable housing, the plan aims to promote positive environmental practices. The council will focus on pursuing innovative solutions, such as MMC to increase the delivery of the sustainable homes that Bristol needs.

In partnership with the Bristol Housing Festival and the completion of its £3.1 million Innovate UK funded project ‘Enabling Housing Innovation for Inclusive Growth’, Bristol City Council is increasingly showing it is a leading authority using MMC.

Currently, Bristol City Council is working with BoKlok UK Ltd, a sustainable, quality, and low-cost home provider to build a housing development in Hengrove. The development will feature 173 new homes, 47% of which will be affordable housing.

The Cllr expressed that the council’s experience of investing in MMC has shown that this method is well established to be of benefit to Bristol and will play a crucial role in creating opportunities for affordable and safe housing.

He said: “Using MMC is a route we are doing to try and accelerate housebuilding. We know that if we can get the manufacturing process to work and there is a sufficient pipeline, we can get sites being built quicker.”

Tackling tenancy fraud will free up houses for those who need them

In addition to adding to the housing stock, Bristol City Council are also focused on ensuring that tenants have better access to existing stock.

A recent report by the Tenancy Fraud Forum (TFF) and Fraud Advisory Panel (FAP) has revealed that 148,000 social housing homes in England are currently fraudulently occupied.

During 2022/23 Bristol City Council’s fraud investigation team prevented 36 cases of tenancy fraud. This included stopping fraudulent housing and rightto-buy applications.

Work to tackle tenancy fraud saved Bristol City Council more than £2.5 million last year, while also freeing up homes for those in need.

Cllr Renhard highlighted that with Bristol City Council’s current waiting list: “We need to make best use of all of our stock, and ensure council tenancies are not obtained fraudulently or have fraudulent activity going on within them.”

Continuing, he said that investigating tenancy fraud is: “Another bit of the puzzle to make sure we are freeing houses to home those who are the most in need.” Going forward, the council need to continue working with partners across the city, engaging with registered providers and developers, to ensure the needs of Bristol and its citizens are fully understood and met.

Project 1000 is showing that by working collaboratively, councils can play a big part in creating communities where good quality housing is accessible to all.

Project 1000 is about having that clear goal and aspiration that everyone can then focus on.

Councillor

Tom Renhard Cabinet Member (Housing Delivery & Homes) at Bristol City Council

Will Zero Percent Interest Green Borrowing Incentivise the Private Sector?

by Floyd March

While the social housing sector has strong government support to decarbonise the UK housing stock through schemes such as the SHDF, private landlords and homeowners have often relied on small grants to do so.

The uptake of these grants has been mixed over the years, with the Green Homes Grant proving particularly difficult. 52% of homeowners' voucher applications were rejected or withdrawn, and 46% of installer applications failed.

Looking to address this, Nationwide Building Society has recently reduced the interest rate on its green additional borrowing products to 0%. This policy announcement has been widely accepted and it will be interesting to track the decisions other banks may follow in response.

0% interest products for green home improvements

Beginning from 01 June 2023, the new 0% product is available for up to 5000 households with a current Nationwide mortgage, and applicants will be able to borrow between £5000-£15000 up to a maximum of 90% LTV for either a two or five-year term.

Policies such as this from the private sector help raise further awareness of the need to retrofit homes and inform the public that financial support is available. Many landlords and homeowners were not aware of the government help available through the Green Homes Grant.

Removing the interest involved in the products is one of the best ways to incentivise members to make green home improvements. This financial help coupled with recent reports stating green home improvements can increase the value of a property could help make the breakthrough required to decarbonise the UK housing stock as a whole, not just by sectors.

Maximum of £250 repayments offer is most affordable product yet

Breaking down the savings people could make, a member using the existing product would be paying 3.89% for a £15000 loan over a five-year term. Monthly repayments on this product would be £275.50.

The revised product would see payments of £250 per month, saving over £1500 over the term of the agreement.

There are some conditions for the agreement set out by Nationwide including the fact that the loan must: “Be used to fund non-structural, energy-efficient home improvements, such as solar panels, air source heat pumps, window upgrades, boiler upgrades, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation or an electric car charging point.”

Local installers could reap the benefits of this support

The product also looks to include local suppliers and contractors to install the home improvements, which is a tertiary benefit of the product. Government contracts can often go to tier-one contractors and larger suppliers, so private sector investment could be used more effectively for local workers.

The old version of this product was withdrawn from sale at the end of May 2023, which marked the time for a shift in the attitudes of incentivising homeowners and landlords to make the changes needed to reach net zero targets.

Henry Jordan, Director of Homes at Nationwide Building Society, said: “Residential properties are one of the biggest causes of emissions and there is a need for more to be done by government and business to encourage households to act.”

A key barrier to making homes more energy efficient is not only the upfront costs associated with retrofitting but also the payback period of making such changes.

Expanding on this point, Henry said: “It’s clear to us that only meaningful incentives will help shift behaviour. So, by launching this latest product for up to 5,000 of the Society’s mortgage holders, we can test and understand whether offering zero per cent interest will encourage members to make the necessary green home improvements, where the costs of finance may have, until now, discouraged them.”

Rounding up, Henry explained: “As a mutual, we’re committed to returning value back to our members, which is demonstrated by this being the first time we’ve taken this approach. Creating a greener society is a shared goal and we need to make it as easy as possible for households to play their part.”

Henry Jordan Director of Homes Nationwide Building Society

By launching this latest product for up to 5,000 of the Society’s mortgage holders, we can test and understand whether offering zero per cent interest will encourage members to make the necessary green home improvements.

NHF: All Social Housing Stock in England Should be Audited

by Hannah Wintle

An action plan is calling for the government, housing associations, and regulators to subject all social housing stock in England to a thorough audit.

The National Housing Federation (NHF), together with the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), published the action plan in response to the Better Social Housing Review.

Seven recommendations were made in the 2022 review, firstly that the housing sector should refocus their core purpose and deliver against it.

Their second recommendation stated that housing associations should work together to conduct and publish a thorough audit of all social housing in England.

Additionally, Housing associations, tenants, contractors, and frontline staff, should develop and apply new standards defining an excellent maintenance and repairs process.

Another recommendation dictated that tenants should have influence at every level of decision making within housing associations through voluntary and paid roles.

Housing associations were recommended to develop a local community presence through hubs which foster greater multiagency working.

Finally, the review recommended that annual reviews should examine how well housing associations are implementing the review’s recommendations.

In response to these, the May 2023 action plan was developed. Alistair Smyth, Director of Policy and Research at NHF, said: “It is a response to the seven recommendations published by the Better Social Housing Review - an independent panel to understand issues around poor-quality social housing.”

All social housing should be subject to a comprehensive national audit

Currently, England’s social housing stock is audited inconsistently due to the varying approaches of housing associations up and down the country. Due to these inconsistencies, the quality of data collected is variable, and numerous differing methodologies are used. Consequently, there is no clear picture of the state of social housing today, and the action plan also acknowledges that the regulatory minimum set out in the Decent Homes Standard falls short in providing a ‘meaningful and modern understanding’ of whether these homes are decent, safe, and warm.

A modernised, consistent, and comprehensive definition of decency would help the sector to prioritise its resources and to make a strong case for additional government investment in homes that are now outdated.

To address this, the NHF will work with housing associations to develop a core set of common indicators.

This, as well as a consistent methodology to assess the condition of properties and their residents, will be built upon the best practise that already exists in the sector. Ensuring that their core indicators align with the standards set out in the revised Decent Homes Standard, the housing health and safety rating system, and any changes to consumer regulation, they will also work closely with the government, officials, and the Regulator of Social Housing.

While it is acknowledged that the magnitude of this work means it will take time to perfect and embed the proposed practices, draft core indicators and broader framework is estimated to be ready by April 2024, and the sector will continue to receive support in embedding this over a number of years.

Resident and property data should be jointly analysed

Another key consideration highlighted within the action plan was the necessity to link asset and resident data.

Working with social housing charity HACT, who specialise in data management and define it as ‘critical to the future of social housing’, will ensure that data collection and implementation is based on best practice.

What are the implications for future retrofit measures?

As the audit is developed over the coming years, the possibility it presents to aid in the UK’s decarbonisation efforts could be exploited.

By analysing the condition each property is in alongside who lives there, inequalities can be better understood, and consequently addressed.

In cases where Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic residents might experience inequalities in their resident experience compared to their white British counterparts, it is hoped that collating and linking this data will enable housing associations to tackle racism and discrimination.

Furthermore, landlords would be better equipped to identify those residents at a greater risk should their property experience damp or mould issues. This would enable repair and maintenance measures to be prioritised accordingly.

“Linking property condition with resident data will help to break down and understand structural challenges faced by residents from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.”

Alistair explained that for landlords to be able to carry out these retrofit measures, more funding needs to be made available.

He said: “The government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is enabling housing associations across the country to begin retrofitting their homes, and while this funding has been hugely welcome, we need to see much longer-term pots of funding available for landlords to plan ahead.”

Ultimately, the changes detailed in the action plan offer a more standardised approach to ensuring the quality of all social housing in England, but further government funding could enable landlords to be more proactive in their energy efficiency measures.

B y analysing the condition each property is in alongside who lives there, inequalities can be better understood, and consequently addressed.

Encouraging Young People into The Planning Sector

by Chelsea Bailey

Tackling the housing crisis in the UK has become a high priority for the country but questions remain about who is going to build and plan all of these new homes.

The UK currently needs around 300,000 more new homes annually to keep up with the growth in population and to make up for years of under-supply. However, this need for increased housebuilding is happening at a time when there is a huge skills gap in the country.

According to recent Make UK Modular research, the housebuilding sector needs to recruit 137,000 more workers to hit this target by 2030. This means 17,000 new recruits annually, triple the current rate.

This is exacerbated when considering that 360,000 construction workers are due to retire by 2030.

These findings reflect how both the construction and planning sectors urgently need to boost skills and expertise to see the development of much-needed housing and to replace the ageing workforce.

Inspiring young people to join the planning sector is key to delivering more homes

Answering these calls to incentivise and encourage people to join the planning sector, the UK Government has recently announced funding for young people.

Over 50 young professionals across England are going to benefit from a £5,000 bursary to pursue careers as planners designing greener neighbourhoods.

The bursary to study a planning masters will be offered through the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). It is aiming to attract a new generation of students aspiring to train and work in the planning sector.

At the end of 2022, it was announced that councils would be given powers to block planning permissions from developers who have failed to deliver homes on the same site, in a bid to speed up the delivery of homes. Housebuilders had argued that this could reduce the number of homes being built, by making development more risky. Now, local authorities and planning consultancies are struggling to attract and retain talent.

Housing Industry Leaders spoke to Andrew Close, Director of Education and Profession at the Royal Town Planning Institute, about how it is proving difficult to find the talent needed: “Public sector resourcing has become a chronic concern among planners, with Local Planning Authorities struggling to attract and retain talent. Without a sufficient cohort of qualified planners, Local Planning Authorities are unable to deliver the affordable homes, green spaces, public services and critical infrastructure our communities need.”

He continued to highlight that the funding will help to diversify the sector: “Our goal is to ensure a continued pipeline of qualified planners are entering the profession while ensuring the planning profession is as diverse as the communities it represents.”

We believe this year’s improved bursary scheme, which could cover up to 50% of the cost of the student’s university fees, will contribute to these aims.

Andrew Close Director of Education and Profession Royal Town Planning Institute

Recent data released by the RTPI found that since 2019, the diversity of the whole profession has increased to 5%.

Andrew revealed that he believes this programme is essential to the future of the planning sector: “While we know there is still more to be done to inspire and prepare the next generation of planners, we believe the Future Planners Bursary programme will continue to open doors for those who might have otherwise struggled to enter the profession.”

This funding from the Department for Levelling Up (DLUHC) will back more careers in the planning sector, helping councils to recruit staff and create better communities.

Housing Industry Leaders discussed this funding with a spokesperson from the DLUHC, who explained that it will help support the development of more houses.

They said: “Encouraging the next generation of planners with fresh ideas and talent is crucial in helping us to deliver more homes, design greener neighbourhoods and shape local communities across the country.”

Disadvantaged students will be supported through the scheme

In the last three years, the DLUHC has already funded over 150 bursaries. In 2022, 42 students in England were granted DLUHC-funded Future Planners bursaries.

This scheme is aimed at disadvantaged students including those who have struggled financially, with care responsibilities, or those with disabilities; helping to boost diversity in the planning sector.

It follows the recent announcement by the UK Government of £1 million to help councils recruit and train skilled planners and increase awareness about careers in local government.

To deliver for communities, it is essential that the housing sector continue to attract diverse talent into planning and support the development of a professional planning workforce that is open and inclusive.

Together with this funding, a new generation of trained planners could help to provide important expertise to support local planning authorities to see vital infrastructure and homes delivered across the country.

As the housing industry works towards addressing the skills shortage and tackling the current housing crisis, providing funding and inspiring young people to join the sector is key.

W

e recognise the impact of skills and resourcing across local planning authorities. That is why we have outlined a programme of support which will offer greater opportunities to young people considering a career in planning.

DLUHC Spokesperson

Building Good Quality Housing Stock Across Scotland

by Floyd March

Scotland have recently launched their Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) in September 2022.

This programme comprises a range of funding mechanisms for housing providers to deliver homes for social rent, mid-market rent and low-cost home ownership.

With a commitment to delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, the Scottish Government has allocated £752m for 2023-2024 to help support their plans. This comprises of a total capital grant of £581m and financial transactions up totalling £171m.

Scottish Government have also allocated £3.2bn to the country’s local authorities, through Resource Planning Assumptions (RPA) for five years (up to 2026), which assists each council to plan their housing supply.

This includes:

• Glasgow £537m

• Highland £240m

• Edinburgh £233m

• Dumfries & Galloway £106m

• Dundee £89m

• Perth & Kinross £86m

Retrofitting for Net Zero

Scotland is now mandated to produce energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation through the Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (LHEES).

Accompanying the Strategies will be LHEES Delivery Plans, which will be developed in partnership with key stakeholders, and provide a strong basis for action for local communities, government, investors, developers and wider stakeholders, pinpointing areas for targeted intervention and early, low-regret measures.

This has led Scotland’s leading authorities to launch their Housing Strategies.

Glasgow Council have launched their draft Housing Strategy 2023 – 2028 focusing on reducing carbon emissions and increasing the carbon efficiency of existing homes, reducing fuel poverty and exploring the potential for heat networks.

Edinburgh Council have launched ‘City Plan 2030’

To tackle the rising population in the city, and with evidence of people’s changing habits due to climate change, their proposed plans include maximising the use of brownfield sites. Their plan includes building 37,000 new homes up to 2032.

Fife Council have confirmed plans to build 1250 homes over the next five years. The programme moves into its fourth phase with £151m to be invested to support the programme and provide new homes.

All this and more will be discussed at our Housing Industry Leaders Scotland conference. For more information as to how you can get involved email enquiry@peloton-events.co.uk, or phone 0161 519 8950

Scotland

Radisson Blu, Glasgow

29 November 2023

Building on the initial phases of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, this one-day conference will explore how funding mechanisms for housing providers help to deliver homes across Scotland.

With a commitment to delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, the Scottish Government has allocated £752m for 2023-2024 to help support their plans.

The event will highlight how Scotland will Deliver Affordable Housing, why Retrofit is essential for decarbonising existing housing stock and how low-carbon technologies will support this. This will be done through keynote speeches, panel discussions and technical seminars.

#HousingScotland

#HousingLeaders

housingindustryleaders.com

Heat Pump Survey Highlights Promising Future for Electric Heating

by Hannah Wintle

Heat pump users across England, Scotland, and Wales, are ‘highly satisfied’ with their heat pumps, according to a recent report by Nesta. While the UK sets its focus on decarbonising the housing sector, what does this survey mean for the wider uptake of alternative heating systems?

To date, fewer than one percent of homes in the UK have heat pumps, despite the government’s target of 600,000 installations every year by 2028.

In their report, ‘Heat pumps: a user survey’, Nesta postulates that in order to increase heat pump uptake, the public’s familiarity and confidence with the technology needs to improve.

Currently, this is the largest survey of domestic heat pump owners in Britain with over 2500 users, as well as an additional 1000 domestic gas boiler owners.

It found that 75% of heat pump owners are as or more satisfied with their heat pump compared to their previous heating system. This figure rises to 81% among people who had their heat pump installed whilst living in their current property.

The survey also revealed that those living in older homes were as likely to be satisfied with their heat pump as those living in newer ones. 83% of residents in Victorian homes, for example, were as or more satisfied with their heat pump, suggesting that these heating systems are likely to be effective across a range of property types and ages.

Now, it is hoped that the result of the survey will influence the wider uptake of heat pumps.

Katy King, Deputy Director of Sustainable Future at Nesta, said: “We hope that these findings will encourage more people to look into replacing their heating system with the heat pump if it's right for them.

“We know the government estimates that 90% of UK homes are technically capable of being heated with a heat pump and they're also widely rolled out in other countries. In Norway, 60% of homes are heated with a heat pump.”

“The research suggests that all homes and people can be satisfied with that heat pump, and we've already heard that a lot of people have got in touch with us to say the research has prompted them to look at getting a heat pump.”

There are still obstacles to overcome

Compared to gas boiler users, heat pump users were less satisfied when it came to ease of use and control, with 74% reporting they were ‘fairly’ or ‘very’ satisfied compared to gas boiler users at 88% similarly satisfied.

The report linked this to another finding which illustrated that 22% of heat pump users feel ‘not very’ or ‘not at all’ confident in controlling their heating, compared to just 6% of gas boiler users similarly unconfident.

The least satisfied group of heat pump users at 52% satisfied were those who had inherited their heat pump by moving into a property in which the previous owners had installed the technology.

Katy addressed this, adding: “While the majority of those moving into a newbuild or an existing property with the heat pump said they were as satisfied or more satisfied with a heat pump than their previous system, the survey did suggest that, what we call heat pump inheritors, those who move into a home with a heat pump where it's already been installed,

would benefit from more information about how to use the system.”

Now, Nesta are calling upon the government and industry to implement ways to make impartial information accessible to consumers.

Additionally, it was highlighted that the majority of heat pump installations at present are planned, while the vast majority of gas boiler installations are done when the system breaks down.

Katy addressed this, adding: “Something else that we're calling on an industry and government to do is to innovate, to reduce the time of disruption that it takes to get a heat pump so that people could get a heat pump as a distress purchase.”

Are heat pumps the key to decarbonising the UK housing stock?

Using fossil fuels for home heating is responsible for 15% of all UK total emissions, meaning that transitioning away from gas towards electric heating is essential in reaching net zero.

The Climate Change Committee have previously suggested in their Balanced Pathway that in seven years time, heat pump sales should reach over one million per year.

Heat pumps are the leading technology in electric heating, and their endorsement

by the government emphasises the importance of adopting this technology in the strive for decarbonisation.

Individual households need to take ownership of their carbon footprint

Nesta’s survey found that some of the most satisfied heat pump users were those that had chosen to install them. In contrast, some of the least satisfied users had inherited them by moving into a house where heat pumps were already installed. The role of agency, therefore, certainly has an impact on satisfaction.

The report also acknowledged that those who inherit heat pumps may have lower levels of awareness around the technology if they had not chosen to install it themselves. Furthermore, 44% of those who inherited a heat pump received no advice on how to use it when moving in, and 62% couldn’t easily source information on how to use a heat pump effectively.

Education, therefore, plays a role in people’s willingness to embrace their role in decarbonising their homes. Katy said: “I do think there is a role for government to educate people about net zero and what they can do.

“Industry can also play a part. It would be great if every touchpoint people are made aware of the green choices they can make and what they can do."

Cymru

Mercure Holland House Hotel, Cardiff

11 July 2023

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS

First Minister of Wales

Building on the initial phases of the Optimised RetroFit Programme (ORP), this one day conference will explore how a whole house, pragmatic approach to decarbonising existing homes is essential across Wales.

Setting out core objectives of the ORP, Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS will explore the core themes of the programme, including affordable warmth decarbonisation goals and understanding the best pathway to better energy efficiency for social homes and their residents.

The day will consist of a series of keynote speeches, panel discussions and technical seminars, with an exhibition zone running throughout the day.

#HousingCymru

#HousingLeaders

housingindustryleaders.com

Covering all Angles of the Housing Industry

11 July 2023

Mercure Holland House Hotel, Cardiff

Why Housing Industry Leaders?

Setting out core objectives of the ORP, Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS will explore the core themes of the programme, including affordable warmth decarbonisation goals and understanding the best pathway to better energy efficiency for social homes and their residents.

The day will consist of a series of keynote speeches, panel discussions and technical seminars, with an exhibition zone running throughout the day.

Join us on 11 July 2023 at Mercure Holland House Hotel, Wales, where housing leaders, experts and innovators will be discussing what is needed right now to drive meaningful change and create communities for the future.

Join the conversation #HousingLeaders