Scottish house condition survey: 2019 key findings

Figures from the 2019 survey, including updated fuel poverty rates, energy efficiency ratings, the condition of housing and the Scottish Housing Quality Standard.

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Footnotes

1. Gas grid coverage is determined on the basis of the distance of the dwelling from a low / medium / intermediate pressure gas distribution pipe. Based on the usual maximum distance for standard domestic connection (63 m), dwellings are classified as being "on" or "off" the grid. This does not reflect whether the dwelling is actually connected to the grid. Further details on the method for estimating distance to the gas grid are available in section 7.8.4 of this report and in SHCS Methodology Notes.

2. CERT-Summary-Report-Q19-by-English-Regions-Scotland-Wales, HEED dB, Nov 2014. Access available through Energy Saving Trust.

3. Scottish Government analysis of data provided by Ofgem of measures installed under ECO. Provisional figures.

4. Household Energy Efficiency detailed release: Great Britain Data to December 2019, BEIS

5. Household Energy Efficiency detailed release: Great Britain Data to December 2019, BEIS

6. CERT summary report (Q19) by English regions, Scotland and Wales, HEED database, Nov 2014. Access available through Energy Saving Trust.

7. Scottish Government analysis of data provided by Ofgem of measures installed under ECO. Provisional figures.

8. Household Energy Efficiency detailed release: Great Britain Data to December 2019, BEIS

9. This design has higher running efficiencies; a portion of the heat that would be lost through vented water vapour is recovered through condensation in a heat exchanger.

10. For existing dwellings, there are occasions where it may not be practical to install a condensing boiler. The Condensing Boiler Installation Assessment Procedure Guide offers further guidance in this area. Where a non-condensing boiler is installed this may result in a boiler with poorer efficiency than that of a newly installed condensing boiler of the same fuel type.

11. The standard heating regime is: 21°C in the living room (zone 1) and 18°C in other rooms (zone 2) for 9 hours a day during the week and 16 hours a day during the weekend.

12. Benefits received for a care need or disability include: disability assistance, personal independence payment, attendance allowance, severe disablement allowance and disability living allowance received by members of the household.

13. The uplifts that were applied to the MIS for households in RRRSTI areas were estimates, based on the approach taken by the 2017 Scottish Fuel Poverty Definition Review Panel which used average data from the MIS for remote rural Scotland published by Highlands and Island Enterprise in 2013. For working age single or couple households the uplift is 15%, for pensioner single or couple households it is 19% and for family households it is 27.5%.

14. 2020 SHCS fieldwork has been suspended since March 17th due to the effects of COVID-19 and the restrictions around travel. This affects both the social interview and the physical survey. Therefore it may be 2021 or later until all additional information is collected to fully account for all the elements of the new definition in the SHCS fuel poverty estimates.

15. Based on unweighted data. See section 4.4.3 for more detailed analysis of weighted energy consumption.

16. Eligible households receive a £140 discount on their electricity bills. Households qualify if they receive the guarantee credit element of pension credit (core group) or they are on a low income and meet their energy supplier's criteria (broader group).

17. See the 2017 Key Findings publication for analysis of longer time trends between 2003/04-2017.

18. The sequence of steps in this method affects the size of the estimated impact. Where factors operate in the same direction any potential joined effect will be attributed to those assessed first.

19. Note that in this release the data were presented as a three year rolling average. However, single year data relating to 2018/19 were also provided.

20. From 2018, total household income data is collected. However in order to produce comparable fuel poverty statistics for 2019 to those in previous reports only the income of the HIH/spouse was used in this publication.

21. These relate to dwellings which are parts of a block with common access and cover elements such as the shared stairs and landings, lifts and common security systems.

22. Compliance with this element will be considered in social landlords' annual reporting to the Scottish Housing Regulator on properties meeting the SHQS.

23. There is an exception to this principle with respect to 14 secondary building elements where failure on at least two is required for a building to be considered not meeting the standard overall. The full guidance is available at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/16342/shqs

24. BRE, "The Government's Standard Assessment Procedure for Energy Rating of Dwellings"

25. BRE, "The Government's Standard Assessment Procedure for Energy Rating of Dwellings, 2012 Edition", Table 12

26. For more details see SHCS Methodology Notes 2014

27. This relates to the SAP and NHER thresholds for element 35 and the thickness of hot water tank insulation for element 33.

28. This element has been incorrectly described in all previous SHCS reports as 'party walls'

29. The SHS collects data on gender and not sex therefore the number of bedrooms required are allocated based on self-reported gender. In addition, from 2018 onwards the question on gender was non-binary and included two additional responses: 'Identified in another way' and 'Refused'. Further details are provided in Annex 2 of the Scottish Household Survey Annual Report 2018.

30. Department for Work and Pensions, Housing Benefit Spare Room Subsidy Changes Factsheet, Retrieved: 19/11/15

Contact

Email: ScottishHouseConditionSurvey@gov.scot

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