Spey Terrace
Location: Spey Terrace
Year of construction: Pre-1919
Construction type: Single building; solid stone
Number of dwellings: 9
Tenure type: Mix of social housing and privately owned dwellings
Protected status: Located within Pilrig Conservation Area
Image © Changeworks
Port of Leith Housing Association (POLHA), who part-own this case study building, is keen to improve the energy efficiency of their stock. The main driver for this is the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH) but they are also keen to reduce tenants’ bills to alleviate fuel poverty.
The EPCs recommended a number of measures such as loft, floor and solid wall insulation, double glazing, boiler upgrades and upgraded heating controls. However, there was greater potential to improve the private flats in these blocks as the social rented properties already had a reasonable energy efficiency rating. If installed, all the measures would reduce annual fuel bills for the whole building by approximately £1,102.
Unfortunately, private owners in this case study building were not interested in retrofit and as such, no measures were agreed on. The housing association will, however, proceed with the installation of individual energy efficiency measures in their properties as part of future replacement programmes.
Telford Road
Location: Telford Road
Year of construction: 1950s-60s
Construction type: Two buildings; no fines concrete
Number of dwellings: 12
Tenure type: Part owned by the housing association, part private ownership
Protected status: None
Image © Changeworks
These two blocks are part owned by a housing association and part privately owned (by landlords and owner-occupiers). Funding from the Scottish Government, the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland Area Based Schemes (HEEPS:ABS), meant that certain energy efficiency measures could be installed free of charge to private owners. The housing association could also benefit, to a lesser degree, from a UK funding scheme, the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and contribute its own funding.
External wall insulation and loft insulation were installed in the buildings and are projected to reduce residents’ annual fuel bills by approximately £208 (or €295) per flat. In addition, the boilers in two flats were upgraded. In addition to reducing bills, the measures will improve warmth in homes and have improved the external appearance of the homes.
Much of the success of the project in this case was down to the comprehensive funding available for the measures resulting in a high level of interest from private owners. In addition, Changeworks used a number of approaches to engagement including door-knocking and holding events.
William Street
Location: William Street
Year of construction: c.1824/5
Construction type: Single building; solid stone; windows are single glazed.
Number of dwellings: 7 dwellings and 3 non-domestic properties (shops and an office)
Tenure type: Multiple ownership; a mix of owner-occupiers and private renters
Protected status: The building is located
within the Edinburgh New Town conservation
area and is a ‘B’ listed building
Image © Edinburgh World Heritage
Owners in this case study building were keen to improve comfort in their properties and reduce energy bills. They hoped the LEAF project would help them to identify appropriate solutions.
During the project, EPCs were carried out which recommended a number of measures: solid wall insulation, draught proofing, low energy light bulbs, an upgrade of the heating controls and boilers in a number of the dwellings, and an upgrade of windows.
Unfortunately, a lack of owner interest, due to the complexity and high cost nature of many of the recommended measures and the fact that residents had undergone major renovations in recent work, meant that no measures were installed in this case study building within the time-frame of the project. Property owners are, however, likely to pursue small individual improvements such as low energy lighting in the future.
