The government must lead the way if social housing decarbonisation is to be achieved
Dave Woodward, National Account Director of Social Housing and Facilities Management at Wolseley, sat down with elemental to discuss the decarbonisation of social homes across the UK.
While social housing providers recognise the need to decarbonise when specifying HVAC systems, there can be uncertainty around exactly which products provide the most appropriate solution. “Most manufacturers are hedging their bets and developing products in a range of areas – PV, air source heat pumps, hydrogen, electric and battery,” says Wolseley’s Dave Woodward. “Another option is to make the switch with a traditional boiler from natural gas to hydrogen; however there are doubts as to whether this is viable. Ultimately, specifiers are spoilt for choice and aren’t sure what products to specify – someone needs to pave the way.”
When it comes to heating for social housing, Dave believes the tenant needs to be placed at the centre of this conversation: “Of course it’s important to talk about the performance, recyclability and carbon footprint of a product, but usability for the tenant is often overlooked.” Sustainable solutions such as air source heat pumps do not operate in the same way as the traditional gas boilers that most of us are used to. “For the majority of people, if their home is cold, they flick a switch and the house will be warm within 20 minutes; but, with an air source heat pump there is a greater need to plan your heating in advance, which can take a lot of getting used to.”
The issue of funding
Lurking behind this discussion, there is of course another difficult question – how are the new sustainable solutions going to be funded? “We know that the best estimates for reaching net zero in the social sector are around £105 billion and government funding currently pledged barely reaches £5 billion. Social housing providers will therefore have to find alternative sources of funding if they are going to meet net zero by 2050.”
Recognising this, the government has added an additional incentive to housing providers – those who bid for government funding, such as the recently launched Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2.1, are more likely to win if they have already secured an alternative source of funding. As such, securing private funding has become a necessary requirement.
As a link in the supply chain between the manufacturer and the provider, Wolseley is in a strong position to assist with this process. Its support team can help social housing providers to successfully bid for private funding. However, in most cases, there is a reluctance to take the first step. Dave feels this likely comes back to the uncertainty around selecting the best type of solution long term. He explains: “Once a clear direction has been set, and providers know exactly what funding they need, they will have more confidence exploring and securing alternative funding options, bidding for government funding and ultimately making progress towards net zero.”
The merchant’s role
Wolseley is carefully considering its role in decarbonisation, with a particular focus on logistics. Sustainable solutions such as air source heat pumps and hydrogen pumps require a whole pallet to transport due to their size and weight, as opposed to standard gas boilers, where multiple units could be transported at a given time. With this in mind, Wolseley has invested in its infrastructure to ensure it can support this logistical shift. Crucially, this should enable delivery costs, as well as the merchant’s environmental impact, to be minimised.
“We also encourage sustainable practices in other ways,” says Dave. “We have a renewables website which offers insights and supporting information from our suppliers – leading manufacturers who not only produce reliable high performing products but offer a strong service back up as well. What’s more, we have a Renewable Design Service which provides customers with a facility to visualise a bespoke renewables design and receive a comprehensive and accurate price breakdown for all the equipment required.”
Finding a clear path to decarbonisation
However, these resources cannot be fully utilised with confidence until the first major obstacle is solved – social housing providers need to understand which of the many sustainable solutions being talked about is the most appropriate for them long term. “Ultimately, the government must take the lead here and make a decision, taking into account the usability of the different options,” Dave argues. “The rest of the heating industry will then be able to follow and – with support from suppliers like Wolseley – other challenges such as funding and logistics can be addressed more confidently. The decarbonisation of UK social homes will only then be an achievable feat.”
To learn more about Wolseley and its renewable design service visit: wolseley.co.uk
