Abstract
Retrofitting housing is central to addressing climate change and energy vulnerability goals. Retrofits can provide value in social housing due to the sector’s prevalence of low-income tenants (who face greater energy vulnerability) and the large, landlord-owned stock. Despite significant potential benefits, multiple complex barriers to achieving the sector’s retrofit goals persist. These barriers are examined by focusing on how privatisation and neoliberal policymaking have shaped social housing delivery and retrofit efforts in England. Two datasets are used to explore these issues: an organisational ethnography of a housing association (HA) in north-west England (n = 10) and expert interviews (n = 21). Key themes identified through thematic analysis include: (1) issues in retrofitting social homes (at HA scale), (2) fragmented social housing provision and (3) insufficient government support. HAs face significant financial constraints, with limited income from fixed rents and chronic underfunding. Inconsistent government funding has created a boom-and-bust cycle, limiting the availability of trained contractors and impeding progress. Clear policies and sustained investment in retrofit technologies are needed to stabilise the sector and support contractor upskilling. The findings are relevant to other neoliberal contexts pursuing social housing retrofit goals.
Policy relevance
Social housing in England faces challenges in retrofitting due to the sector’s high concentration of low-income tenants and fragmented stock, and multiple forms of privatisation impacting the sector. The governance of HAs causes weaknesses within the sector for undertaking retrofits. These weaknesses stem from the financialised regime that affects HAs, e.g. the reliance on private finance to deliver retrofit works can affect the form of works done to homes. The high cost of electricity can adversely affect tenants, meaning retrofits with electric heating systems may not always be used correctly when electricity prices are high. The improvement of the retrofit sector will involve long-term, sustained investment in developing the retrofit market, including retrofit skills development, as the inconsistent funding cycles that the retrofit market is experiencing act as a barrier to scaling up retrofits.