Warmer Homes Scotland programme: annual review 2018-2019

Part 8: Conclusions and Recommendations Summary

Conclusions

The following matrix shows whether Warmer Homes Scotland is on track to meet its stated objectives.

• Fuel - On track
• Climate Change - On track
• Value for Money - On track
• House Stock - On track
• Community Benefits - On track

Recommendations Summary

Fuel Poverty

Recommendation 1 - Additional enabling measures were introduced to the scheme in October 2018 and additional renewable measures will be offered during 2019/20. The 2019/20 Review should analyse the impact on cancellation rates and attrition levels in comparison to previous years, in particular the rates of customer cancellations due to fuel type, no suitable measures or perceived upheaval and/or preparations works to the property

Housing Stock

Recommendation 2 – Establish the causes for the increase in the costs of installations to ensure the scheme is providing maximum value for money.

Recommendation 3 - Establish how eligible households living in energy inefficient Residential Park Homes could benefit from further assistance from Warmer Homes Scotland.

Recommendation 4 - Explore the feasibility of combining help from Warmer Homes Scotland with other Scottish Government funded energy efficiency schemes i.e. Area Based Schemes to further improve the energy efficiency of Residential Park Homes.

Recommendation 5 – Carried over from 2017/18 - Review the data held on RdSAP ratings and locations and establish the relationship between the property type receiving measures installed under Warmer Homes Scotland and the RdSAP improvements post installation, with a view to establishing if no longer offering heating measures to those households in the private rented sector has impacted on SAP points gained. The review should also consider if the decrease in the installation of energy efficient glazing and doors during 2018/19 results in a further decrease in SAP points gained during 2019/20.

Recommendation 6 – Carried over from 2017/18 - Carry out an in-depth analysis of the SAP points gained data to establish the associated investment and carbon emissions savings or SAP point gains per recipient household. This should include an analysis of SAP point gains by Measures installed and fuel types.

Value for Money

Recommendation 7 – Establish if there is a common reason for the decrease in the uptake of HES Loans to eligible Warmer Homes Scotland customers and if actions can be taken to make these a more attractive options with a view to increasing uptake.

Recommendation 8 - Establish the feasibility of data on final measures installed under Warmer Homes Scotland with HES Loan assistance being provided by Warmworks to Home Energy Scotland and establish which measures are most commonly funded by HES Loans and if these represent value for money.

Community Benefits

Recommendation 9 - The 2019/20 Annual Review should outline the new ESP targets and focus on how the individual targets have been defined.

Recommendation 10 - The 2019/20 Annual Review should report on whether the audit process for security matters is fully in place.