Changeworks supported Midlothian Council with a retrofit delivery plan, creating a road map to net zero social housing – the first of its kind for a local authority in Scotland.
Midlothian Council has long-term ambitions for getting to net zero and becoming more energy resilient.
In 2019, Midlothian demonstrated this commitment by declaring a climate emergency. This was followed up in 2023 when the council published their Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES). This strategy outlined their plans to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and decarbonise heating across the area.
To make these plans a reality, Midlothian are currently moving forward with their heat network proposals.
Part of Midlothian’s LHEES was to improve the energy efficiency of their existing housing stock. To make this a reality, they required a plan and a coordinated approach. The plan needed to:
- Look at the big picture: Instead of focusing on the least energy efficient homes – based on their EPC score – Midlothian wanted to take a step back and analyse all their housing over the long-term up to 2045 – the Scottish Government’s self-imposed net zero deadline.
- Be ready for the next round of funding: Midlothian wanted to look at how they could prioritise and prepare projects so they could respond quickly to short funding cycles, such as Area Based Schemes and the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund.
- Integrate Midlothian’s retrofit planning with other council projects: They needed an overarching retrofit plan that could sync-up with other projects, like heat network planning and infrastructure projects.
Building on our extensive working relationship with Midlothian, Changeworks were asked to create an actionable delivery plan.
The long-term retrofit strategy that was produced is a first for a local authority in Scotland. With detailed and planned out retrofit projects defined and aligned to the Social Housing Net Zero Standard, the plan is a package of works that Midlothian will use to plan their retrofit work over the next 15 years and beyond.
How did we create a net zero strategy for Midlothian?
We broke down the project into three stages:
Changeworks’ Consultancy team has years of experience analysing housing data to identify common types of housing in a local area.
We analysed Midlothian’s housing stock to categorise buildings into key archetypes based on how the properties were constructed. Construction method is one of the most important ways to determine what retrofit measures should be installed in a property.
What we produced: A report explaining Midlothian’s key archetypes and an interactive Power BI report.
Changeworks’ Retrofit Delivery team has been managing and delivering retrofit projects for several social landlords over many years, including Midlothian.
Using our in-house expertise, we worked with Midlothian to identify which retrofit measures would work best for their most common building archetypes.
Our team visited and surveyed cavity properties, the Council’s most common construction type, to further understand their current performance. From this the team were able to create detailed energy models to explore different combinations of energy efficiency measures, with some options demonstrating a staged approach.
For other property types, we used available property data and energy efficiency modelling to understand how different options would impact energy costs for tenants, the cost of the measures themselves and how the measures would impact the space heating demand.
What we produced: A report identifying the key retrofit measures for each archetype, including an updated Power BI report.
We split the measures and property types into several retrofit projects to turn Midlothian’s net zero ambitions into actionable steps. Each of these projects included options for achieving the Scottish Government’s minimum standards, as well as going above and beyond to achieve net zero.
Deciding these projects was based on alignment with proposed standards and available funding opportunities, as well as constraints such as working with listed properties.
We also supported Midlothian when it came to deciding in what order to deliver these projects. We made recommendations based on several factors, including:
- Midlothian’s existing plans and priorities
- Areas at risk of fuel poverty
- Target dates for proposed standards
- Timing of major funding cycles
- Our experience delivering retrofit projects with Midlothian
- Our expert knowledge of measure and system lifespans
What we produced: A report explaining the different projects, including advice on the best practice approach for the progression of each project. We also created an interactive Power BI report showing all projects, their measures, estimated installation costs, and expected impacts on emissions and fuel bills for tenants.
Delivering Warmer and Healthier Homes on the Road to Net Zero
Our whitepaper highlights how we are working with local authorities and housing associations across Scotland, like Midlothian, to use end-to-end retrofit planning to achieve the ambitions of Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies.
What made this project a success?
Two factors were key to the success of this project.
The first was the staged approach to the project and bringing together the expertise, knowledge and skills from Changeworks, Midlothian Council and other stakeholders.
Second was breaking down the project into different stages. This meant that each following stage was fully informed by analysis outcomes from the former. This made it possible to create a bespoke approach each step of the way and ask relevant stakeholders outside of Midlothian for input where needed, such as Midlothian Energy Limited, a joint venture between the council and Vattenfall.
Changeworks’ decades of in-house experience in analysing housing stock data, providing in-depth assessments of properties and delivering retrofit schemes on the ground, all contributed to developing and delivering the project.
The resulting interactive PowerBI reports are engaging and detailed tools that will enable Midlothian’s housing team to explain their retrofit priorities and plans to other departments and elected officials. These reports can be updated as and when projects are completed.
This image shows the distribution of properties and planned long term projects across Midlothian. Projects broken down by location, and key considerations like listed properties or off-gas properties.
What’s next?
Now Midlothian Council has a retrofit delivery plan, they can start planning and delivering retrofit projects in advance with the confidence they will meet future standards and net zero ambitions.
In fact, this started happening within six months of completing the plan, Midlothian has used it to adopt a place-based approach to its engagement with social housing providers and other partners. This has supported successful Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund applications, expansion of Area Based Schemes in partnership with other social housing providers, and structure a pipeline of ECO-funded opportunities.
The supporting data and individual project plans have helped Midlothian match projects with funding and streamlined the proposal process, saving time and resource.
The data and project plans that were developed as part of the plan means we can quickly identify the correct projects and effectively fill out funding proposals, saving time and resource for Midlothian.
What do Midlothian think of the plan?
Andrew Souter, Programme Manager at Midlothian Council, commented: “Midlothian Council wanted to take a strategic approach to our retrofit programme, to enable us to move through data collection and into delivery at pace, while maximising our ability to attract funding in to support the programme.
“Having worked with Changeworks on numerous projects in the past, we knew they were the right team to help guide us towards meeting our retrofit net zero goals. The Changeworks team had the skills and experience we required to pull this big project together, and our confidence was rewarded in the quality and detail of the final report.
“This report has given us a holistic view of our housing types, what needs to happen and when to meet our future goals. Having the work broken down into individual retrofit projects is hugely beneficial and allows us to tackle each project efficiently and effectively.
“This plan now means we have a medium to long-term plan in place for our housing stock that connects into our wider net zero strategy and is delivering warmer, drier homes that will cost less to heat for our tenants.”
What Changeworks said
Sophie Burgess, Senior Consultant at Changeworks, commented: “Long term planning to meet upcoming statutory targets is a not an overnight job, and requires experience and understanding of the challenges. Producing Midlothian’s retrofit delivery plan was a real team effort and showcased the wide range of skills within our consultancy and delivery teams.
“This plan will enable the Midlothian Council to future proof their housing for anticipated energy efficiency standards, and to prioritise specific works over the coming years.”