Social Housing Net Zero Fund: progress reports - February 2026
The Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund offers capital grant funding to support social housing landlords in Scotland to install clean heating systems and energy efficiency measures across their existing housing stock.
Projects Funded Under Checkpoint 2 of the SHNZHF
Project Title: Cairn Housing Association – Whole House Retrofit
Project Organisation: Cairn Housing Association
Technology Type(s): ASHP, Solar PV and Battery Storage
Location(s): Wick, Highland Council
Grant Value: £92,813
Completion Date: November 2022
Project Headline: Whole house retrofit pathfinder of 2 homes in Wick
Project Description:
This project was as a pilot project for the organisation, which will act as a pathfinder for future projects to upgrade their housing stock. The project took the whole house retrofit approach and installed clean heating and energy efficiency measures to 2 homes in Wick, Scottish Highlands. These properties were built in the 1950s of traditional construction but had irregular cavity width with previously no wall insulation.
The measures included as ASHP, solar PV, battery storage, EWI, UFI, Roof Insulation, Triple glazed windows, external doors, MVHR. The houses were previously heated by a mix of storage heaters and panel heating, along with a hot water cylinder in a cupboard upstairs which provides hot water via immersion.
The aim of the whole house retrofit was to bring the properties to Enerphit standard.
Project Title: Communal Ground Source Heat Pump - Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund
Project Organisation: Cairn Housing
Technology Type(s): Double Glazing, Upgraded Doors and Solar PV
Location(s): Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross Council
Grant Value: £524,916
Completion Date: March 2024
Project Headline: Fabric First and microgeneration to 35 homes in Blairgowrie
Project Description:
The project aimed to provide clean heating, microgeneration and fabric first measures to 35 properties in Blarigowrie, Perth and Kinross. There were a mix of property archetypes in this project; 28 one bed flats, 4 one bed mid terrace bungalows, 2 one bed end terrace bungalows and 1 three bed semi-detached house.
The proposed technologies included a communal GSHP to provide clean heating, and double glazing and new external doors to provide energy savings measures, to all 35 properties. Additionally, solar PV were installed to provide microgeneration to the 6 bungalows.
There were some issues with the feasibility for the GSHP that were not discovered until after the project started, so it did not go ahead. However the fabric first measures and microgeneration were installed, which provided tenants with improved thermal comfort and a reduction of fuel bills.
Cairn Housing Association subsequently withdrew the clean heating element from the project, with the intention to come forward again at a future checkpoint with a feasible plan for providing these homes with clean heating.
Project Title: Installation of High Heat Retention Storage Heaters, Solar Panels and Battery Storage to Cliffview Court Arbroath and St Drostans Court Brechin
Project Organisation: Angus Council
Technology Type(s): HHRSH, Solar PV and Battery Storage
Location(s): Arbroath and Brechin, Angus Council
Grant Value: £212,326
Completion Date: November 2022
Project Headline: Installation of clean heating and microgeneration to 26 homes in Arbroath and Brechin
Project Description:
The properties were a mix of end and mid terraced bungalows in supported accommodation and were previously heated by inefficient electric storage heaters. The measures installed in this project included new high heat retention storage heaters, solar PV and battery storage to all properties.
The installation of new HHRSHs allowed for more control and usability of the technology for tenants. The upgraded heaters had smart controls that allowed for more accurate calculation of energy bills, and highly insulated cores which allowed heat to be released when required, thus saving energy and reducing energy bills.
By installing the upgraded heaters alongside solar PV and battery storage, this project ensured reductions in carbon emissions and reduction in fuel bills for the tenants, transforming these properties into zero carbon homes.