Building a sustainable future for social housing
The UK’s social housing sector is set for a retrofitting boom as local authorities and housing associations upgrade existing buildings to meet stringent thermal performance requirements. Martin Hitchin, CEO at Rehau UK, highlights the fenestration sector’s key role in these efforts.
England’s residential sector produces more carbon annually than all the country’s cars combined, underscoring the urgency to decarbonise existing building stock.
With legislation mandating a 78% reduction in emissions by 2035, the need for upgrades is critical, especially in social housing.
As operators of publicly owned building stock, local authorities must lead the way, especially considering the vast footprint of 4.4 million social homes. This is especially pressing given most of these properties were built between 1945 and 1980, and therefore were not designed with modern energy efficiency standards in mind.
Despite public funding from various schemes, local authorities and housing associations face challenges due to increasing workloads and staff shortages. Fenestration professionals with commercial project experience have an invaluable role to play in providing expertise in retrofitting projects and filling potential knowledge gaps.
Rehau’s whitepaper, ‘Retrofit Right – Making Social Housing More Energy-Efficient,’ emphasises the importance of windows and door systems in enhancing a property’s energy efficiency. Medium retrofits, such as fitting high-spec glazing frames, can significantly improve thermal performance cost-effectively. Stakeholders must understand what constitutes quality components and engage with the supply chain to specify high-performing systems.
Fabricators and installers working within frame manufacturers’ networks have a competitive advantage in this space, as certified programs demonstrate quality to potential customers. Rehau, for instance, partners with its certified fabricators, offering assessments, layout assistance, material ordering, and onsite training.
This involvement ensures projects meet specifications and standards, giving local authorities confidence in timely, budget-friendly, high-standard upgrades.
Retrofit Right stresses evaluating supply chains for quality benchmarks, including product standards like PAS24 for security, and aesthetic and acoustic considerations. Third-party accreditations such as ISO 9001 and CDM Regulations 2015, for instance, are crucial for assuring local authority and housing association stakeholders that health and safety concerns have been considered as part of the construction process.
PVC-U frames are highlighted within the whitepaper for their durability, energy efficiency, and low maintenance requirements. Advancements in frame design over 20 years have made them more efficient, achieving the Building Research Establishment’s ‘A’ rating under the Green Guide to Specification. Indeed, with a lifespan of 35 years and established recycling infrastructure, PVC-U is a sustainable choice for social housing projects.
Taking this into account, fenestration professionals should evaluate their frame portfolio, service offering, and sustainability credentials to benefit from the retrofitting boom. By demonstrating the impact of cost-effective PVC-U frames, they can establish themselves as valued partners.
Overall, the fenestration sector must go beyond supplying frames for local authorities and housing associations, especially with net zero deadlines approaching and the need to enhance thermal efficiency growing ever more pressing.
Adopting a holistic approach and meeting added-value standards to assure stakeholders that public funds are being effectively used by fabricators and installers. Proactive engagement with frame manufacturers is advised to help upgrade the UK’s social housing stock in line with climate and energy efficiency goals.