Social Landlords Miss Out On Energy Schemes

The government has not properly recognised the role social landlords can play in cutting fuel poverty through schemes to promote renewable power generation, a report has found.  The Joseph Rowntree Foundation study, Renewable energy: getting the benefits right for social housing, argues the design of mechanisms such as the feed-in tariff were based around economic rather than social demands, meaning the social housing sector failed to take advantage of the scheme. The JRF report states: ‘Only a minority of social landlords were then able to progress. Continuing uncertainty over future rates has left most schemes either abandoned or postponed indefinitely.’  The report calls for more certainty for the FIT and similar mechanisms such as the renewable heat incentive so landlords can ‘make long-term plans about retrofit strategies with confidence’.  Download a copy of the report from the JRF website.