Social housing net zero standard consultation: island communities impact assessment

Annex B

Stakeholder feedback through the EESSH2 review - summary

Representatives from Shetland Islands Council, Hjaltland Housing Association and Hebridean Housing Partnership were members of the EESSH2 review group^[12], providing insight into the challenges faced by Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlords on island communities.

1. It was noted that there are challenges faced by landlords in rural locations due to limited workforce and less capacity to carry out work. The EESSH2 target for 2032 would not be achievable as a result.

2. Funding is currently more targeted to clean heating technology than fabric efficiency improvements. In order to prevent tenant's energy bills increasing fabric efficiency improvements are required before the installation of clean heating systems.

3. Funding requiring the use of PAS2035 accredited contractors will impact timescales, especially for rural and island communities as it will be harder to appoint accredited contractors. However, this is not a requirement for the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund.

4. There are differences in economies of scale and access to funding for islands and rural areas, so effort is required to ensure they are not disadvantaged.

5. Rural and island communities need to spend more to achieve the same energy efficiency standard as the central belt, due to differences in climate.