Decarbonising Home Heating - Public Accounts Committee Inquiry – - National Housing Federation submission

Barriers to decarbonising social homes Long-term funding certainty Arguably, the lack of long-term certainty is the single biggest barrier to the delivery of energy efficient homes across the UK. [...] In addition to the lack of long-term certainty around SHDF funding, those bidding into the programme also face tight timescales, both in terms of the time allocated to prepare and submit their bid, and the time allowed to complete the project delivery. [...] Any changes to the SHDF that would reduce the administrative burden at the time of submitting an application, provide a greater degree of flexibility in how the funding is spent, and provide longer time scales for delivery of projects would positively impact the delivery of low-carbon heating and energy efficient homes across the UK. [...] Changes to the design of Waves 2.1, and 2.2 of the SHDF, including longer application and delivery windows and the ability of social landlords to bid in directly, improved the accessibility of the scheme and were welcomed by the sector. [...] They also have the scale, purchasing power and long-term stake in homes and communities necessary to spearhead the decarbonisation of the UK’s homes and the wider installation of low-carbon heating technologies.