The transition to clean heating is an important part of the decarbonisation challenge facing social landlords. However, selecting appropriate heating systems requires consideration of more than carbon performance alone.
Our completed research, Exploring Clean Heating Options for Social Housing, examines a range of heating and hot water technologies and considers how they could perform across different types of social housing, taking account of costs, property characteristics, system suitability, impacts and tenant considerations.
Using Fife Council’s housing stock as the basis for the assessment, the project provides an evidence base to support future decision-making around clean heating.
Assessing the options
The research begins by scoping the available heating and hot water technologies before developing a shortlist for more detailed assessment.
The report considers a 30+ technology longlist and produces a shortlist:
• High Heat Retention storage heaters (HHRSH)
• Electric water heaters
• Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP)
• Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP)
• Infrared heating
• District heating
• Solar thermal
• Electric radiators and electric panel heaters
Each technology is considered through a series of summary sheets, providing a consistent basis for understanding the characteristics, opportunities and considerations associated with the different options.
Understanding impact and cost
The project then moves beyond technology assessment to consider the potential impacts and costs associated with different heating systems.
This includes modelling the impact of the shortlisted options alongside an assessment of 30-year costs, providing a longer-term perspective on the implications of different approaches.
Understanding whole-life costs is particularly important when considering social housing, where affordability for tenants, investment requirements for landlords and long-term operational costs all need to be considered alongside decarbonisation objectives.
Applying the analysis to existing housing stock
A key part of the research is understanding how different technologies could work across the existing housing stock.
The report examines Fife Council’s existing properties, considers the suitability of different heating systems across the stock and identifies the heating systems gap.
This helps move the discussion from considering technologies in isolation towards understanding where particular solutions may be appropriate within an existing housing portfolio.
A structured approach to technology selection
The project also develops a Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) model and tool to support the comparison and down-selection of alternative heating technologies.
The model provides a reusable framework through which different options can be assessed against multiple criteria, helping social landlords bring together the technical, financial and wider considerations that influence heating system decisions.
Supporting the next stage
The research concludes by setting out considerations for the next stage of the project, including:
• Pilot project scoping
• Development of an impact evaluation framework
• Tenant support
These next steps recognise that successful clean heating deployment involves more than selecting the right technology. Understanding how systems perform in real homes, how tenants experience them and how impacts can be evaluated will be important in informing future investment and deployment.
Supporting the transition to clean heating
The completed research provides a structured assessment of clean heating options, bringing together technology selection, housing stock suitability, modelling, whole-life costs and tenant considerations.
As social landlords continue to plan for decarbonisation and respond to changing regulatory requirements, having robust evidence and practical decision-making tools can help inform the development of effective, affordable and deliverable clean heating strategies.
The full report is now available to support organisations exploring the transition to clean heating across social housing – Clean Heating and Hot Water Systems Review
– Sophie Burgess, Senior Consultant at Changeworks “Working with CeNZ has been really valuable for the project. It has led to a wider scope and different methodologies being used, which has enhanced the project.”
– Sam Ahmadzadeh, CeNZ-HighDB “This research brings together technology, cost, housing stock and tenant considerations to support more informed clean heating decisions. The MCDM tool developed provides a practical re-usable framework to help any social landlords assess their options and plan for the transition to cleaner heating.”