The journey to net zero can seem a large, ominous, and expensive undertaking for housing providers. Some 2.9 million homes are owned by housing associations in England, with another 528,000 across the devolved nations, so it is certainly true that there is a lot of work ahead to do to reduce housing’s contribution to the UK’s overall emissions.

A particular challenge for the UK

While it is a challenge many other countries face, it is a particularly acute issue in the UK. According to the Home Builders Federation, we have the oldest stock in Europe – 78% of homes were built before 1980 and 38% prior to 1946, compared to an average of 61% and 18% respectively on the continent.

Inevitably, this affects the condition many of them are in. Government figures show that in England 15% of homes failed to meet the ‘Decent Home Standard’ in 2022 – the highest proportion of substandard homes in Europe. Research from Rightmove found that more than half of the UK’s housing stock has an EPC rating of D or below.

That may paint a daunting picture, but it’s important to remember that this doesn’t all need to be tackled immediately and at once. In England, social housing must reach an EPC rating of C or above by 2030, and net zero by 2050, while the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH) in Scotland set out milestones that include all social housing meeting EPC band B by the end of December 2032.

Where PPMs fit in

Those deadlines may not be too far away, but local authorities and housing associations still have time to make the necessary changes to their stock. It can be a gradual a process that fits into existing planned preventative maintenance (PPM) schedules, which most, if not all, housing organisations should be undertaking – even if they are not using that exact term.

For anyone reading who is unfamiliar, a PPM is essentially a 20 to 25-year strategy for regular scheduled inspections, services, and cyclical repairs to housing stock (or any other type of property, for that matter). It should be a live and organic document that sets out how different elements of a building will be maintained, with work undertaken every three to five years.

How to build net zero into PPMs

To implement a PPM, the very first thing you need to do is understand your estate through an initial data capture exercise. Find out how much stock you are dealing with, what the different property types are, their current EPC ratings and other energy efficiency attributes, as well as what maintenance has already taken place.

For owners of a large number of assets, that in itself may seem like an insurmountable task – but not everything will need surveyed to the nth degree. Even understanding what archetypes of properties you have and the carbon footprint associated with each of them, is a good starting point.

From there, you can extrapolate the potential costs and timeframes involved with refurbishing each property type, beginning to programme a route map. By setting out the routine maintenance you already have planned, it will allow you to overlay any renovation and improvement works.

So, for example, if windows and doors are due to be replaced in some homes in five years’ time, you could plan to upgrade these to a higher standard rather than replace like with like. This will remove any potential duplication of replacements and improvements, and give you a more gradual spend profile over the course of your PPM.

A starting point for prioritisation

Such an approach will also show you where there could be low-hanging fruit to pick – for example, homes with cavity walls may suit the installation of cavity wall insulation. Other buildings may simply require external insulation to be installed, which can be easily included in the programme. 

Alternatively, the most problematic homes may need to be prioritised from a resource and time perspective, depending on their condition. Much older stock – especially homes built prior to the 1960s – will likely need to be assessed from a cost-benefit perspective to see whether improvements are going to be worthwhile.

In cases where buildings do not have historic status, a feasibility study may reasonably conclude that the costs involved mean it would be better to demolish the property and rebuild a more energy efficient alternative on the site.

Gradual steps rather than leaping forward

A lot of housing providers we speak to say they feel overwhelmed by the task ahead of them to reach net zero. There are a lot of moving parts and, to deliver what is required will require a variety of departments within housing associations – including estates, projects, and finance – to align with one another.

But, it is a journey that should be taken by a variety of steps rather than one giant leap. Weaving those through your existing maintenance plans is a solid foundation for spreading the cost of reaching net zero over time, decarbonising your housing stock as efficiently as possible.

• Greig Fenton is regional director at Thomas & Adamson, part of Egis Group