Taff Housing has called on the Welsh Government to provide more support for housing associations to provide tenants with more energy efficient homes.
David Pettitt, Head of Property at Taff Housing, said challenges facing the whole social housing sector ranged from funding restrictions, supply chain limitations, skills gaps and efficacy of technology to finding the best approach for its tenants.
He said:
“Like all other housing associations, we have been able to access Welsh Government Optimised Retrofit Programme funding to invest in affordable warmth measures in our homes. However, we are in a bit of a chicken and egg situation because although we have started carrying out the initial surveying work, this is expected to take several years to complete. So, in the meantime, we need to start making decisions on what we will do with the homes we have already completed surveys on, as we can’t wait until the process has been completed before we commence work.
“We will be prioritising the homes that will benefit most from energy efficient measures based on the data we have available now. Often these measures will be individual to each home making it harder to scale up our work. We need to consider the style of the building, suitability of technology and the right approach for the tenant, to avoid disruption where possible and help them overcome any financial strains caused by rising energy bills.
“There are many arguments for the fabric first approach, to ensure the home can retain the heat efficiently, however, the fabric measures are typically more costly and can take several years to see the financial benefits. On the flipside, the installation of solar PV and a battery, which is more versatile, is a fraction of the cost, and residents are more likely to see immediate savings on their fuel bills.
“In the Welsh Government’s latest heat strategy plan it suggests that heat pumps are the solution for all homes in Wales. However, while I can appreciate their sustainable credentials, the cost, size and logistics for this form of technology makes them unsuitable for many of our inner-city homes which don’t have space between buildings and flats.
“As a result, we have decided to pinpoint a small number of homes that are suitable for the fabric first approach while installing home upgrades like solar panels, batteries etc in others.
“That way, we hope to both maximise our budget and impact in the most economical and efficient way possible.
“One of our biggest concerns is the scepticism around the technology itself. Not only is much of the technology still in its infancy, but it is also continually evolving and being replaced with newer, more improved models or innovations. This makes us reluctant to invest in something that we may have to go back and update later. Saying that, we have undertaken several trials and invested in a new lime-based render trial on a some of our older terraced properties as well as a new infrared electric wallpaper technology in one of our new build properties. We are now monitoring the impact of these technologies over the next 12 months before adopting them for other properties.
“There is such a range of different technology available from different sources, that it would help if the Welsh Government created a regulatory body that could test, certify and endorse the products as safe and dependable. This would help to guide the housing providers on what technology we should adopt and from whom.”
“Finally, but possibly one of the most important factors that places huge restrictions on us is the supply chain limitations. With very few companies manufacturing the technology, paired with a vast skill shortage in the sector. I was pleased to see that the Welsh Government has recognised a need to invest in training and upskilling in this area in its recently published Heat Strategy.[1] This is much needed, if we are all to deliver these changes to meet the targets.
“We have invested some of our funding into training people internally to carry out the surveys to help reduce our outsourcing costs, but further investment in training from Welsh Government would be very welcomed.
[1] https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2024-07/heat-strategy-wales.pdf
