Sheffield City Council HECA Report; year ending 31 March, 2013
Action
Example
Timescales
1. Local energy efficiency ambitions and priorities
Background:
There has been significant investment in carbon reduction in both social housing and the private sector over the last few years,
using a combination of internal funding, area-based grants, CERT and CESP funding and Decent Homes money. Our ambition is to
continue to reduce per capita CO2 emissions in the city, including household emissions. We believe that the biggest challenges at
present and therefore the top priorities are around low carbon solutions for hard-to-treat properties and in the private rented sector.
Following a rise in the rate of fuel poverty in the city (relating primarily to fuel price rises) we aim to reduce the rate back to below
the national average and to maintain the long-term reduction in the rate of excess winter deaths. Measures which assist with this
will also reduce CO2 emissions.
Our priorities are set out below:
Lowering
1. To invest in whole house approaches with a focus on hard to treat cavity walls and solid
carbon
wall insulation. This builds on the success of our CERT funded Free Insulation Scheme
emissions
and investment in council housing stock which has seen the vast majority of standard
insulation work in the city completed.
2. To bring about a step change in maximising access to low carbon affordable heating
through our district and community heating networks. This builds on Sheffield’s unique
position with the largest district heating network in the UK.
In 2010 the DECC figure for Sheffield MDC of CO2 emissions within the influence of the local
authority was 5.7 tonnes per capita.
Source:
www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/climate_stats/gg_emissions/uk_emissions/2009_la
co2/2009_laco2.aspx
Fuel poverty
Sheffield target: to reduce per capita CO2 emissions within the influence of the local authority
to 5 tonnes per annum (Sheffield City Council Housing Strategy 2013-16).
3. To reduce the rate of domestic fuel poverty in the city further through physical
measures to the property and practical support to the occupants, and to capture the
wider health benefits that follow a reduction in fuel poverty.
By 2016
Sheffield MDC data (2010):
Fuel poor households = 42,190 households or 18.3% of the total
Source: www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/fuelpov_stats/regional/regional.aspx
Sheffield target: to raise the minimum rating of viable council housing to SAP 65 over the
By 2023/24
next ten years.
Cross4. To maximise the wider opportunities that are becoming available to support carbon
Continuing
cutting
emission reduction and tackling fuel poverty – such as use of EU Structural Funds, the
Renewable Heat Incentive and householder engagement in collective energy supplier
switching.
2. Measures we are taking to result in significant energy efficiency improvements of our residential accommodation
ECO



Green Deal


Developing a bold approach to use this mechanism as a focus for radical upgrades that
retro-fit and refurbish the city’s housing.
Developing the business case to support a strong partnering approach. This is building on
the good experience gained in running our Free Insulation Scheme and projects funded
through the DECC Fuel Poverty Fund.
Maximising use of the trusted Council brand while providing a strong focus on local job
creation and comprehensive support for less well-off households.
Making successful use of our Go Early “Low Carbon Pioneer City” funding and training up
an in-house team of Green Deal Assessors.
Including key learning about technical issues relating to hard-to-treat cavities and
} Autumn 2013
} End June 2013
householder attitudes to the Green Deal.
By Spring 2014
 Progressively developing Sheffield City Council planning policy, especially relating to solid
wall insulation.
Fuel Poverty  We have made use of the DECC Fuel Poverty Fund and strong partnerships with the
To be completed
by 31 May 2013
voluntary and community sector in Sheffield to address the need for both physical
measures in properties, such as heating improvement works, and wrap-around practical
support as the issue is wider than physical measures alone.
Collective
Campaign
 We have also used the FPF for a high-profile campaign to demonstrate the benefits of a
switching
completed by 31
local authority led switching scheme. We recorded one of the highest rates of registration
March 2013; initial
of any of the 90 local authorities taking part in the April 2013 auction. We see this as a
auction in April
vehicle for starting to tackle more fundamental problems of poor thermal efficiency and
2013
high carbon energy.
Renewable
We have been disappointed that changes to tariff rates have made it unworkable to support
energy
larger-scale PV installations on Council-owned stock. However some social landlords have
made good progress and high-profile marketing in the city generally has resulted in Sheffield
having one of the highest PV installation rates in the country.
Planning
We have established requirements for enhanced carbon reduction and renewable energy in
policies
the Council’s planning frameworks.
New build
The establishment of the Sheffield local housing company is already helping to demonstrate
housing
successful new build with high thermal efficiency and Eco-home ratings.
Minimum
We are concentrating on working with landlords to reduce the number of properties identified
standards in under the housing Health & Safety Rating System as having a Category 1 hazard (where
the private
enforcement action may be required), including excess cold. Where possible these are
rental sector referred for heating and insulation improvements.
3. Measures we propose to deliver cost effective energy efficiency improvements in residential accommodation by using
area based/street by street roll out
Area-based
We have a strong track record of using door-to-door promotional techniques on our Free
schemes
Insulation Scheme which will assist us when securing future householder engagement with
Green Deal and ECO, particularly in encouraging take-up amongst vulnerable and hard to
Value
reach groups.
A key priority for us is to use ECO innovatively in making the most of low carbon heat sources
for our community heating networks. This fits well with running are-based schemes in highdensity urban housing.
A recent report identified the scope for low carbon investment in the Sheffield city region,
including the economic benefits by sector (although only a proportion of households will be
eligible for this to be delivered through ECO investment):
And gave the potential savings as:
Source: The Economics of Low Carbon Cities: A Mini-Stern Review for the Sheffield City
Region; Centre for Low Carbon Futures, 2012 p21- 22.
The measures we propose include the cost effective measures of low carbon heating, loft and
cavity wall insulation for older housing stock, hard to treat cavity wall insulation and solid wall
insulation. They will require an estimated minimum £161m of investment in ECO for fuel poor
households, assuming a 20% rate of fuel poverty and £796m of cost effective opportunities as
quoted above.