Publication - Research and analysis
Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing: peer review
Peer review scrutinising the example dwellings in the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing consultation document.
10 Recommendations
The following brief recommendations are intended to assist the Scottish Government in finalising the standard, developing and expanding the approach introduced in the consultation.
| Recommendations for the finalised EESSH | |
|---|---|
| 1 | The additional retrofit examples ( section 5) should be used to demonstrate how to achieve compliance for non-standard, harder-to-treat housing stock. |
| 2 | A mechanism could be established for recognising and rewarding the installation of those measures that yield reductions in heating, emissions and fuel bills but may not be recognised by RdSAP currently ( e.g. communal building area improvements). For example, giving landlords credit for investments in communal measures and leeway where properties are close to, but do not fully meet, the standard. |
| 3 | Care should be taken when using historic modelling data based on older versions of RdSAP e.g. 2005 v9.83. Where possible the latest version of RdSAP should be used when assessing the baseline for properties. RdSAP 2009 v9.91's additional default insulation values and flexibility to enter calculated U-values (see recommendation 4) offer social landlords additional flexibility in meeting the standard. |
| 4 | It should be made clear to social landlords installing insulation that documentary evidence should be provided and recorded if overwriting any default U-value assumptions ( e.g. for floor insulation, section 3.2.4). The Scottish Government should work with DECC to collate sources of evidence for in-situ U-values common to social housing types in Scotland. |
| 5 | There could be merit in amending the loft insulation thickness ( section 3.2.5) and corresponding thermal properties for retrofit example groups D and G to more accurately reflect the baseline for these examples. This will not, however, alter the path to compliance for SHQS and EESSH. |
| 6 | When considering retrofit example groups A to D, social landlords should consider whether their property is likely to have had a chimney and/or flue in 1990 ( section 3.2.6). This will influence infiltration and heat load requirements which may vary from the modelled example. Again, this will not alter the path to compliance for SHQS and EESSH. |
| 7 | Assessors and social landlords should adopt the suggested minimum boiler efficiencies ( section 3.2.7) when using RdSAP 2009 (v9.91) to assess properties. |
| 8 | Renewable energy technologies (such as PV and solar thermal) should be noted as 'advanced' rather than 'further' measures, due to the limiting factors associated with retrofitting ( section 3.2.9). This mean considering the scope for alternative measures to achieve compliance with EESSH. |
| 9 | The inclusion of micro- CHP and micro-wind systems in the list of measures should be reviewed in relation to how applicable they are to most archetypes. |
| 10 | The Scottish Government should consider the scope for accepting documentary evidence from landlords in cases where properties are prevented from meeting the standard due to planning regulations relating to historic or otherwise protected buildings. |
| 11 | For system-built and high-rise properties, the EESSH should be designed to encourage the early adoption of EWI. For this reason EWI should be noted a 'further' measure based on securing ECO funding where this is available to meet the cost of measures. 18 target property types are identified which would benefit from this approach. |
Contact
Email: Agnes Meany
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