Housing Scotland Magazine April 2013

Welcome to the April issue of Housing Scotland which focuses on the theme of ‘Sustainability, Renewables and Energy Efficiency’. 

SFHA Policy Manager, David Stewart reports on the progress made by Scotland in meeting the 2020 climate change targets. David recently gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament on this subject and you can read the summary of his evidence.

Housing associations and co-operatives have some of the most energy efficient housing stock in Scotland. Shettleston Housing Association’s Glenalmond Street development uses geothermal and solar heating systems and has saved its tenants as much as 60% on their heating bills. And Berwickshire Housing Association has become the first social landlord to secure planning permission for a wind farm which should generate power and income to support new house building.

The link between fuel poverty and energy efficiency is well established. Energy advice can be a means of addressing both. We have a case study of a tenant who used the services of the Glasgow Homes Energy Advice Team after she experienced problems with her electricity supply. Donnie MacKay of Lochaber and Skye Housing Association gives an update on the association’s energy advice service which aims to provide all tenants with warm homes which they can afford to heat.

Finally in our welfare reform section, Glasgow Housing Association explains how it held a special advice seminar to help ethnic minority communities prepare for welfare reform. Our local authority perspective comes from North Lanarkshire Council, which recently found that only one in five tenants were very confident of being able to make up the difference when their Housing Benefit is cut from 1st April. Very soon we’ll start to see the impact of these cuts.

Also inside........ Round the Houses.....SFHA Events.....Local Authority News.....Contract News