4. Housing Energy Efficiency and Carbon Reduction Programmes - 2025-26 Award of Funding - Report
Renfrewshire Council · 19 August 2025
Back to Communities and Housing Policy Board — 19 August 2025 and its agenda
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Communities and Housing Policy Board On: 19 August 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Housing Energy Efficiency and Carbon Reduction Programmes: 2025/26 Award of Funding ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 Renfrewshire Council has been awarded £1,163,400 for qualifying projects under the Scottish Government’s Energy Efficient Scotland Area Based Schemes (EES: ABS) programme for 2025/26. 1.2 The report updates members on the funding process that has secured this investment and the projects which will be supported. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Communities and Housing Policy Board: 2.1 Homologate the decision of the Head of Housing Services, in consultation with the Convenor, to accept grant funding of £1,163,400 from the Scottish Government’s Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Schemes (EES:ABS) programme, for qualifying projects within the Renfrewshire Council area for 2025/26; and 2.2 Authorise the Head of Housing Services to oversee the delivery and operational management of the programme and notes an update on the outcomes delivered from the programme will be provided to a future meeting of the Policy Board.
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3. Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Schemes (EES:ABS) 2025/26 3.1 The Scottish Government’s EES:ABS programme was formerly known as the Home Energy Efficiency Programme Scotland: Area Based Schemes (HEEPS: ABS) which was introduced in 2013/14. The programme is targeted at private sector homeowners to assist their participation and ensure projects to improve energy efficiency can proceed. The key objectives are to address fuel poverty, reduce carbon emissions and demonstrate an appropriate strategic fit and approach to improving energy efficiency. 3.2 The potential benefits of EES: ABS support a wide range of social housing initiatives including maintaining stock at the levels required by the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) as well as the requirements of the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH) and the proposed Social Housing Neet Zero Standard (SHNZS), and local authorities act as coordinating agents for all EES: ABS programmes for their area. 3.3 The Council has been allocated funding of £1,163,400 for 2025/26 for qualifying projects as set out below: 3.4 As in previous years, the Council has secured the services of a Managing Agent with the intention of offering support to private homeowners in areas where the Council has previously carried out investment programmes, but where houses and/or blocks were not included in our programme due to them being wholly privately owned. This project will provide the largest spend of the grant funding this year and the costs of the Managing Agent role will be met in full by the EES:ABS funding. 3.5 The remainder of the projects focus on mixed tenure blocks of solid wall construction type to support the Council in meeting the requirements of the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH) and the proposed Social Housing Net Zero Standard (SHNZS). 4. EES:ABS Programme 2024/25 Update 4.1 In 2024/25 the Council was awarded £2,061,138 in EES:ABS grant funding to support the delivery of energy efficiency works to eligible private owners. Project Value of EES:ABS Renfrewshire Council Mixed Tenure Blocks External Wall Insulation and Solar PV throughout Renfrewshire £64,800 Managing Agent for Wholly Privately Owned Properties £1,080,000 Renfrewshire Council Regeneration Area Mixed Tenure Blocks in Auchentorlie and Howard Street £18,600 Total £1,163,400
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4.2 A total of £1,462,357.68 of the EES:ABS grant funding was drawn down and used to support private owners across Renfrewshire. While this was less than anticipated, there were unforeseen challenges throughout the year which impacted on projects and resulted in less grant requirement over the course of the year. 4.3 The majority of grant expenditure in 2024/25 came via the Council’s mixed tenure blocks investment project. £956,883.68 of EES:ABS grant funding was allocated to owners to support improvement works, including external wall insulation and associated measures to 184 flatted properties in projects across Renfrewshire. The grant funding allowed 85 private owners to benefit from these works, whilst works to a further 96 Council homes were funded by the Council through the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) capital programme. 4.4 The anticipated grant expenditure within the housing regeneration areas of Auchentorlie and Howard Street was not realised, due to low owner participation levels. However, the option remains to apply to Scottish Government for funding to support participating owners in this area should there be additional uptake from owners at a later date and subject to funding availability. 4.5 During the course of 2024/25, the appointed managing agent, The Wise Group, ceased offering a managing agent service after the grant funding had been awarded, withdrawing from the contract at short notice. This impacted the Council’s ability to increase the amount of grant available to this project to ensure full expenditure of the total grant award. 4.6 Action was taken to procure a replacement managing agent and Warmworks were appointed on a short-term contract in January 2025. Working in the Lochfield area where the Council has previously carried out investment programmes, and targeting eligible residents, they were able to install external wall insulation and associated measures to 26 wholly private houses, utilising £505,474 of EES:ABS funding. 5. EES:ABS Programme 2025/26 5.1 Members should note that there are a number of complexities with delivering works in line with the grant funding requirements and the tight timescales to complete works and draw down funding. Owner consultations, prevalence of private landlords, requirement to achieve technical and quality standards and increasing cost of works may also impact on the scheduling of works and the timetable and ability to fully draw down all of the allocated EES:ABS funding for 2025/26. However, this will be managed by the Head of Housing Services in line with the Scottish Government’s funding criteria timescales. 5.2 An update on the outcomes of the 2025/26 programme will be provided to the Policy Board on completion of the programme. ___________________________________________________________________
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Implications of the Report 1. Financial – EES:ABS allocation of £1,163,400 for 2025/26 to support owner participation in a range of energy efficiency projects within the Renfrewshire area. 2. HR & Organisational Development – None. 3. Community/Council Planning – Our Renfrewshire is thriving – assisting private owners to participate in programmes to improve housing conditions, making Renfrewshire a great place to live Our Renfrewshire is well – improving housing conditions benefitting tenants and private owners. Addressing fuel poverty. Reshaping our place, our economy, and our future – investment in the refurbishment of social rented and private dwellings will create jobs and contribute to the economy. 4. Legal – None. 5. Property/Assets – Improvements in the energy performance of both social rented and private dwellings. 6. Information Technology – None. 7. Equality & Human Rights (a) The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – None. 9. Procurement – Procurement of suppliers to deliver some elements of this programme of work. 10. Risk – None. 11. Privacy Impact – None. 12. Climate Risk – Projects will contribute to reducing carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency of both social rented and private dwellings.
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13. Children’s Rights – None. 14. COSLA Policy Position – None. ___________________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers (a) Report to Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board on 20 August 2024 – Home Energy Efficiency and Carbon Reduction Programmes: 2024/25 Award of Funding (b) Report to Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board on 22 August 2023 – Home Energy Efficiency and Carbon Reduction Programmes: 2023/24 Award of Funding (c) Report to Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board on 16 August 2022 – Home Energy Efficiency and Carbon Reduction Programmes: 2022/23 Award of Funding (d) Report to Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board on 17 August 2021 – Home Energy Efficiency and Carbon Reduction Programmes: 2021/22 Award of Funding (e) Report to Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board on 20 August 2020 – Home Energy Efficiency and Carbon Reduction Programmes: 2020/21 Award of Funding (f) Report to Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board on 20 August 2019 – Home Energy Efficiency and Carbon Reduction Programmes: 2019/20 (g) Report to Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board on 12 March 2019 – Home Energy Efficiency and Carbon Reduction Programmes: 2019/20 ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Mark Brown, Housing Asset & Energy Strategy Manager Email: mark.brown@renfrewshire.gov.uk