Tenements Short Life Working Group – energy efficiency and zero emissions heating: final report

1. Note from Chair

We all deserve somewhere warm, safe and comfortable to live. The climate and cost of living crises we face have brought into sharp focus the challenging, but equally important, need to decarbonise our homes in a way that is achievable and affordable for all.

Some households will find this simpler than others depending on the age and construction type of their homes as well as their personal circumstances. Achieving a good level of energy efficiency and installing a zero emissions heating system in a newly built semi-detached house in the suburbs will not be the same as doing so in a rural Victorian cottage or a high-rise block in a city.

Furthermore, undertaking any sort of common works in mixed ownership and/or mixed use buildings presents various additional challenges, from disagreements between residents to confusion over ownership rights and responsibilities, to finding and then paying for contractors with the appropriate skills. Compounding this are the characteristics of many flats, varied as they are, with these properties tending to be older and facing additional constraints in terms of the options available to them to improve their energy/thermal efficiency and the move away from fossil fuel heating.

As a result of these issues and others, finding the best solution to decarbonising our tenement buildings will not be an easy task. However, given that flats account for more of our homes than any other single type of property, it is a task that we must undertake. As such I would like to thank all of the individuals and organisations who sat on the working group for their time, considerable expertise, their innovative ideas, and their patience with the process of seeking out solutions.