Today (18 March), the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero has announced a £75m extension to Wave 2.2 of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.
The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is open to local authorities and housing associations for bidding to decarbonise existing social housing stock, including installing double glazing, insulation, and heat pumps.
This £75m addition to existing funding will allow a further 8,800 homes to receive upgrades, and will be allocated to 42 registered providers of social housing.
Decarbonising housing stock is a key priority for The Housing Forum. Over half of the homes which will be lived in by 2050 have already built, it is crucial that they are safe and warm for residents. This is of great importance to our members too, many of whom either manage social housing, or work with registered providers to decarbonise existing stock.
42% of social homes are still below an EPC C rating, generally viewed as the lowest acceptable standard. Decarbonising these homes will not only lower emissions from operational carbon, but lower bills and raise the quality of life for tenants living in them.
More needs to be done, however, not just to provide additional funding, but also to incentivise registered providers to undertake these works. That is why The Housing Forum is calling for the social rent formula to take the energy efficiency of homes into account in our Manifesto for Housing 2024. Ensuring that less efficient homes pay less in rent will incentivise providers to upgrade stock, and will provide much-needed relief for tenants facing substantially higher energy bills.
Responding to this news, Anna Clarke, Director of Policy & Public Affairs, said:
“We’re pleased to see this additional funding for insulating and improving social rented housing. The new funds will be particularly valuable to smaller social landlords who’ve not yet managed to access these funds. The requirement to co-fund their projects, however, continues to put a strain on the finances of social landlords, who are forced to make difficult decisions between building much-needed new homes and upgrades to existing homes”.
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