Low carbon technology – identifying gaps and solutions for impactful advice provision in social housing 

Changeworks has been awarded funding by the William Grant Foundation to research the levels of advice given to social housing tenants when their homes are fitted with low carbon technologies, such as heat pumps and solar PV.

The research will take place over the coming months with social landlords, tenants and sector stakeholders to establish the quality and impact of advice provision in installation processes, before publishing our findings in spring 2026.

Complete our survey today to take part in this research. The survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete.

What are the aims of the research?

There are three main aims that we hope to achieve as part of this research. They are: 

• To estimate the levels and types of advice given to tenants when installing low carbon technologies in social housing across Scotland.  
• To assess the quality and impact of advice given as part of these retrofit projects. 
• From the above we will aim to create realistic and actionable recommendations for how energy advice for low carbon technology can be delivered most effectively to social housing tenants.  

Why is it needed?

As Scotland races towards its 2045 net zero goals, the transition requires widespread installation and use of low-carbon technologies in the home. This includes heat pumps, solar PV, and battery storage. With 13% of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions coming from the home, it’s an area that requires serious attention and investment. 

However, households frequently struggle to operate unfamiliar low-carbon systems efficiently without tailored support. This means reverting to previous energy use behaviours which are often inefficient and can lead to higher energy bills. 

Across the UK, 61% of social housing tenants live in fuel poverty. It’s not uncommon for instruction manuals to be too technical, and for those living in social housing, traditional sources of support, such as housing providers, are often not equipped to offer in-depth energy system guidance. 

These issues are particularly acute in social housing, where decisions on which technology to install are made by landlords, with varying levels of consultation. This often leaves many tenants facing significant challenges in adapting to these systems without dedicated, accessible advice. 

Changeworks’ previous experience in delivering energy advice has shown that disengaged tenants – I.E. those who do not understand or trust their new systems –are less likely to use this technology efficiently and more likely to fall into energy debt due to unexpected bills.

Additionally, switching to new energy systems can lead to errors in tariffs or billing that are difficult to resolve without external support. These challenges can exacerbate existing inequities, especially for elderly or vulnerable householders. 

Evidence suggests that when advice is embedded in retrofit programmes outcomes for both landlords and tenants improve significantly. Despite this, advice provision in Scotland remains inconsistent.  

Current standards such as PAS 2030, which many Scottish schemes follow, do not require advice to be provided. In contrast, English schemes adhering to PAS 2035 embed advice and coordination as a core component of delivering retrofit programmes, meaning potential inequalities in retrofit experiences between households in different parts of the UK. 

Changeworks’ preliminary research shows that tenants are often not fully benefiting from new energy efficient technologies due to a lack of advice and support. However, there is limited quantitative data on the scale of this problem across Scotland, and very little analysis of how advice is currently delivered or how it could be made more effective.  

Strengthening this evidence base is essential to improving tenant outcomes and informing funding and policy decisions around retrofit delivery in social housing. 

Findings will be published early 2026.