Retrofit and the
Revolving Loan guarantee fund
A Welsh perspective
Dewi Llwyd Evans
Community Initiatives Manager
 Cymdeithas
Tai Eryri’s journey into retrofit
 The ARBED programme in Wales
 The Welsh Revolving Loan Guarantee
Fund and progress to date
 Some thoughts on why WLRGF is even
more important today than it was when we
started
 Empowered procurement and
regeneration
Our Area of
Operation
A wonderful area to live
and work in – culturally
rich, a beautiful
landscape and coastline,
strong sense of
community
But…..
Low GDP, some of the
lowest wages in the UK,
pockets of deprivation,
peripherality, outward
migration of young
people…..
Ein Cenhadaeth
Our Mission
“Gwella Bywydau,
Datblygu Cymunedau Cynaliadwy,
Hybu’r Gymraeg”
“Improving Lives, Developing Sustainable
Communities, Promoting the Welsh
Language”
Cymdeithas Tai Eryri
•
•
•
•
•
Social economy business with 1800 properties
across Anglesey and Gwynedd
Reducing Carbon theme in our Corporate plan
Measuring our ecological footprint: operations,
housing, tenants
Pilot Schemes on new build and retrofit
Board Commitment
•
•
£2m retrofit investment
£12m to reach Welsh Housing Quality Standard
Eithinog Pilot: Bangor
First social housing in Wales built to
Code Level 4
Trem y Mor, Trefor (‘retrofit’)
Trem y Mor, Trefor (‘retrofit’)
Trem y Mor, Trefor (‘retrofit’)
The ARBED Programme in Wales
An integrated approach to retrofit
• Reducing climate change
• Eradicating fuel poverty
• Economic development & regeneration
–
–
Solar PV, solar thermal, Wall insulation,
Heat pumps installations targeted to
regeneration areas
£30m available to social landlords
CTE’s ARBED programme

Target Hard to heat homes
(i.e solid walls, off gas, coal fires & storage
heaters)
Renewable energy
 Create jobs, training placements & upskill
our existing contractors especially with PV
 Partnership with local authority, private
sector , Dulas ,local contractors
 The second largest award in Wales £2.5m

Paneli Photofoltaic
Solar Photovoltaic
258
Insiwleiddio waliau allanol
External wall insulation
73
O dân glo….
….i bwmp gwres
From solid fuel….
….to air source heat pump
33
Solar dŵr poeth
Solar thermal
86
Regeneration outcomes
16 Companies contracted – 14 in our
operating area
15 Work placements for unemployed young
people
2 Full time jobs & 4 apprenticeships
6 Local companies achieving MCS accreditation
1 Monitoring officer KTP project with Bangor
University
Dylan Williams
Aelod o gweithlu CTE sydd nawr gyda
achrediad MCS i ffitio paneli solar
Part of the CTE workteam who now have
MCS accreditation to fit solar panels
The journey to the RLGF
 Strategic

discussion with our partners
how to avoid boom and bust? Create the right
environment for sustainable growth and
business
working with Radian – ERDF project
 The GESB Model
 The Value of networking –
 Dulas

presentation to Community Housing Cymru
and Welsh Government
The “coalition of the willing”





7 RSLs agreed to undertake a pilot project to set
up the Welsh RLGF based on FIT PV income
£10k contribution and 100 roofs each
Welsh Government Housing department
provided revenue funding for feasibility
Managed by Community Housing Cymru with full
support of it’s Council
GESB contracted to develop the business case
Welsh Revolving Guarantee Fund
Model
•700
•£7
PV installations
Pvs in Homes
million loan
RSLs
Guarantee
fund
•5%
first loss guarantee
Bank
•£300K
in guarantee fund
Welsh RLGF Progress to date
with financiers – over 30
different institutions targeted and
 2 offers
 Meetings


one from a charitable trust for the guarantee
fund
One from a bank- for the whole amount
 Positive
reaction from European
commission and a willingness to support
the project –
 “it’s got legs…!”
Welsh RLGF- the challenges
 The

best rate we’ve been offered is 6%
Non secured off balance sheet – great for
those with high gearing not so attractive to
others
 Targeting

Renewable energy teams and RSL business
teams- do they talk to each other?
 External

the right people in banks
factors – Eurozone and Greece
Led to the withdrawal of our main offer
 The
PV FIT shambles
Welsh RLGF – where now?
carry on – the model is sound and
tested
 Learn from Eastern Europe – truer to that
model- longer paybacks and a range of
energy efficiency – cant rely on FIT
 RLGF can reach the parts and households
that Green Deal and FIT won’t reach
 Rural areas off gas- cost of external wall
insulations- and associated works
 Regeneration outcomes
 We
Empowered Procurement
i2i’s Can Do Toolkits
www.whq.org.uk/i2i
Diolch yn fawr!
Thank you!
 Dewi
Llwyd Evans
 Cymdeithas Tai Eryri
 Ty Silyn
 Penygroes
 Gwynedd LL54 6LY
 dewi@taieryri.co.uk
 01286 882453
 I2i Can Do Toolkit
• http://www.whq.org.uk/i2i/about_resources.php
www.whq.org.uk/i2i