Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) launch
Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund launch
On 23 September 2024, addressing the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, Ed Miliband - the Secretary of State for Energy Security & Net Zero - announced the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (formerly known as the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. It was his first major policy announcement about the built-environment since taking office in July.
Miliband told the conference in Liverpool: “We all know that the poorest people in our country often live in cold, draughty homes. It is a Tory legacy … this government will not tolerate this injustice and we will end it.”.
Up to 54% of a home’s uncontrolled air infiltration can come through an uninsulated suspended floor, making it the single biggest source of draughts in properties of this type.
Wave 3 of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund opens today (30 September), and will close at midday on Monday 25 November 2024.
Q-Bot have been supporting clients with property analysis, data insights and under floor insulation installations through all phases of previous government-funded retrofit schemes, and are here to support you through both the planning and delivery of your application.
Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund
The Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3 (WH:SHF – formerly SHDF) aims to upgrade thousands of social homes currently below EPC C with energy efficiency measures including under floor insulation, and heat pumps. This will cut bills, tackle fuel poverty, and improve resident health. For the first time ever, all applications that meet minimum requirements will receive some funding, with a new Strategic Partnership route for organisations that have a track record of successful delivery.
Property data is recognised as being inconsistent, and often unreliable. Whilst two thirds of UK homes have an EPC certificate, many are inaccurate, and this is particularly prevalent in floor construction type records. Suspended timber flooring was the predominant construction methodology for floors up to the 1960’s. Many homes built after 1919 have a mixture of both suspended timber and solid concrete floors, and this is not necessarily reflected in an EPC. Combined with a third of homes having no EPC, it is easy to appreciate that knowledge about a property’s floor is limited.
Q-Bot recognised the need to help property owners identify the construction type of their buildings' floors, and the value of more accurate data when planning retrofit projects, and we have developed an analysis methodology to help landlords enrich their knowledge of their housing stock.
More accurate property data, helps to support success bids, and improve the effectiveness of delivery in a number of ways including;
· Identifying suitable and similar archetypes
· Improving resident engagement
· Reducing unnecessary surveys and property visits
· Facilitating area-based delivery, at scale
Q-Bot’s underfloor insulation (UFI) - Value for money
Not all energy efficiency measures are equal, none more so than underfloor insulation.
Underfloor insulation (UFI), should be air tight and vapour impermeable, bringing the floor structure into the insulated envelope, isolating it from the moisture risk below. Through this approach there is a broader range of benefits, physical, and financial, than most other energy efficiency measures.
Key values of Q-Bot Underfloor Insulation (UFI)
· Reduced heat loss of up to 24% (validated by Leeds Beckett University*)
· Measured energy savings, significantly greater than those recorded for traditional underfloor insulation (and other measures, such as Loft insulation and cavity wall insulation
· Improved resident comfort through reduced drafts, and reduced energy bills
· Reducing the risks of damp and mould growth* (so reducing maintenance costs)
· Improved indoor air quality, and therefore reduced health risks*
· Improved heat pump performance and efficiency (up to 30% energy saving*)
· Reduced risk of damage and structural failure in floor timbers
· Long product life, no requirement to replace
· Additional SAP points, resulting in increased EPC score
· Increased airtightness (Contributing further SAP points under RdSAP 10)
Q-Bot’s added value – Retrofit Learnings
Q-bot have supported Social Housing clients with property data analysis since the launch of Green Homes Grant, Local Authority Delivery in 2020. Since then, we have installed UFI in thousands of homes, for nearly 100 social landlords.
In that time, Q-Bot have gained insights into the successful delivery of retrofit projects, which add value and will improve the effectiveness of delivery for new applicants such as:
· Early supply chain onboarding and Clear procurement routes
· The value of early resident engagement events
· Cost savings of Archetype based approach
· Benefits of working at scale, and the economies that can be achieved
To learn more about property archetypes with suspended timber floors, and the risks of damp, mould, and disrepair associated with them, book your space on Q-Bot’s RIBA Approved CPD Training here.
Alternatively, to schedule a Teams call click here to find out more about how we can help your retrofit plans.
Q-Bot is a TrustMark registered PAS2030:2019 accredited installer (Moving to PAS2030:2023) and our underfloor insulation solutions is PAS2035 and building regulation compliant (including, but no limited to, Approved Documents B, C and L)*.
*Further details available through Q-Bot CPD training.