Consultations: Sustainable Housing Strategy and Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing

Tuesday, 26 June 2012, 4:15 PM

On 25 June the Scottish Government launched two major consultations on the newly published Sustainable Housing Strategy and the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing.

Sustainable Housing Strategy
Homes that Don’t Cost the Earth: a consultation on Scotland’s Sustainable Housing Strategy sets out a "vision for warm, high quality, affordable, low carbon homes and a housing sector that helps to establish a successful low carbon economy across Scotland." The Strategy proposes a "route map to 2030" that includes the following key objectives:

• a step-change in provision of energy efficient homes to 2030 through retrofit and new build, as promised in the Infrastructure Investment Plan;
• to ensure that no-one in Scotland has to live in fuel poverty, as far as practicable, by 2016;
• to make a full contribution to the Climate Change Act targets, as set out in the Report on Proposals and Policies;
• and to enable the refurbishment and house-building sectors to contribute to and benefit from Scotland’s low carbon economy and to drive Scotland’s future economic prosperity.

The five themes of the Strategy are: the delivery and development of a national retrofit programme; the role of standards to improve the physical condition and the energy efficiency of housing; financial market transformation leading to a housing market where sustainability is positively valued and attracts a financial premium; new build market transformation leading to the delivery of more sustainable homes and neighbourhoods, and; the development of skills and training that allow the workforce to meet the new requirements.

Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing
Published alongside the Sustainable Housing Strategy, Developing an Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing: a consultation aims to improve the energy efficiency of social housing in Scotland. The document proposes establishing a minimum EPC Rating – known as the Environmental Impact score – which every social rented dwelling will be required to meet by 2020. The standard will be different for different dwelling types.

Consumer Focus Scotland, Scotland’s 2020 Climate Group, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and the Existing Homes Alliance Scotland welcomed the launch of the two consultations.

Commenting on the consultations, Trisha McAuley, Deputy Director at Consumer Focus Scotland said:
"This long-term commitment and focus from the Scottish Government to help older homes become more energy efficient is good news and will help cut fuel bills for many people in this situation.

"It is also welcome news that more consideration is being given to how to reflect energy efficiency improvements when people are moving house so that they can be confident they are increasing the value of their home, as well as making their home warmer and reducing carbon emissions."

Consultation on Sustainable Housing Strategy (closes 28 September 2012).
Consultation on Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (closes 28 September 2012).
Scottish Government Sustainable Housing webpages.
Scottish Government Energy Efficiency Standard for social housing webpage.
Related Scottish Government press release.