Decarbonisation: a guide for housing associations

The government has set a clear and challenging goal: for the UK to meet net zero by 2050. The housing sector has a huge role to play in meeting this goal, but to do this we’ll need to eliminate virtually all emissions from homes.

Housing associations are already acting and the homes they manage are more energy efficient on average than any other homes. The sector has also invested in energy efficiency and new heating technology for many years. But the scale of the challenge is so significant that it will require a huge programme of work at an unprecedented scale.

At the NHF we’ve been working with our members and many decarbonisation experts to develop a strategic, national approach to the decarbonisation challenge.

Although the approach from each organisation may differ depending on factors like stock condition, distribution and scale, it’s vital that we are all aligned in our vision.

• Our new guide sets out our guiding principles for decarbonising housing association homes.
• It explains how – collectively – we can retrofit existing social homes so they are more comfortable, cheaper to live in and emit no carbon.
• The guide also sets out the support we need from the government to deliver this, and it highlights the uncertainties we face.
• You’ll also find more technical and practical information, with definitions and explanations of fabric first principles, clean heat and methodologies such as SAP.
• We’ve outlined the policy and funding timeline that will take us to 2030 and explained what the current government policies mean for housing associations.
• With the support of SHIFT Environment, we have also put together a suggested timeline of activity to support you on your journey to decarbonisation and inform your more detailed plans.

To find out more about our decarbonisation guide, read the full report.