Social housing net zero standard: consultation

2. Principles of a New Standard

2.0.1 We believe that a new standard for social housing must:

• Be compatible with and enable progress towards net zero targets.
• Be compatible with Scotland’s fuel poverty targets.^[17] The Scottish Government is committed to ending fuel poverty. Our vision is for everyone to have a warm, safe home that they can afford and which meets their needs in a place where they want to live.
• Be compatible and consistent with our proposals for other domestic buildings. The proposals outlined in the consultation on plans for a Heat in Buildings Bill will not apply to social rented housing because the latter is already regulated through the Scottish Social Housing Charter. However, the standards in different tenures must support each other in delivering the same outcomes.
• Support a just transition. Embedding the principle of a just transition to net zero in the social housing sector is a key recommendation of the Zero Emission Social Housing Taskforce (ZEST)^[18] and is set out in the terms of reference of the EESSH2 review group^[19]. A just transition will mean, as a minimum, that the costs of working towards meeting climate targets do not fall disproportionately on tenants, but also that we do not accept leaving some people in housing that is hard to heat.
• Set a timescale for meeting the SHNZS which recognises the pressures on social landlords. These pressures include the challenge of meeting a standard for mixed tenure properties, the impact of the pandemic and pressure on rent increases. The transition away from gas and other polluting heating systems in social housing must be affordable.
• Support the Scottish Government’s heat network targets. Heat networks generate heat and use a network of pipes to supply it to nearby homes, businesses, and public buildings. The heat can be generated in different ways, depending on the resources and assets available in the area.
• Take a realistic view of the whole system costs. Funding support for the SHNZS should take account of more than just the costs of installation. It should recognise the need for ventilation, ongoing maintenance and address unintended impacts.
• Address concerns about the Standard Assessment Procedure as the underlying methodology for a new metric, noted in the consultation on EPC reform^[20], and in the EESSH2 guidance^[21].
• Provide flexibility for specific circumstances while still requiring action. Where a standard allows for exemptions for difficult cases, there needs to be an absolute minimum standard, a backstop date after which property that cannot meet that standard cannot be let to new tenants.