4
SHQS section on safe and secure
The percentage of houses passing the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) on health, safety and security increased by 3.2% points between 2011 and 2013, reaching 85.9% in 2013. Following this increase, the rate remained fairly similar until 2015. In the last 2 years there has been a 3% point increase from 86% in 2015 to 89% in 2017, with the latest annual increase of 2.1 % points leading to an “improving” performance for this indicator.
This standard covers a range of safety and security measures including :
Safe: smoke alarms; energy supply systems/appliances; common lifts, internal/external areas, refuse chutes and bin stores.
Adequate: common/public lighting
Secure: dwelling door locks & common entry systems; with common front and rear doors in a good state of repair.
Fuel poverty
Nb. WHD refers to Warm Home Discount in the chart above, which has been taken into account since 2011, in the calculation of Fuel Poverty.
In 2017, 24.9% of households (613,000) were estimated to be in fuel poverty, a similar level to 2016 (26.5% or 649,000 households). This follows a period of annual decreases between 2014 and 2016, with 2017 the lowest rate recorded by the survey since 2005/06.
Around 7.0% (174,000 households) were living in extreme fuel poverty in 2017 which is similar to the 7.5% (183,000 households) in the previous year
Between 2016 and 2017 there was a 6% nominal increase in mean income of households surveyed in the Scottish House Conditions Survey, the source of fuel poverty estimates. Over the same period, average weighted fuel prices increased by 1.2%, reflecting increases in electricity (up 6.7%) and liquid fuels (up 24%), as well as a fall in gas (down 1%). There was also an improvement in some of the energy efficiency measures of the housing stock, although this varied by dwelling characteristics. These key drivers of fuel poverty combined to result in no real change between the 2016 and 2017 fuel poverty rates.
In the longer term, fuel prices increased by 158% between 2003/04 and 2017, whilst average household incomes rose by 50% in comparison and there was a 41% increase in the proportion of dwelling with a SAP energy efficiency rating of A-D. The large increase in fuel prices has been the key driver in fuel poverty increases between 2003/04 and 2014, whilst a fall in fuel prices in 2 of the last 3 years has also been the main driver for more recent reductions in fuel poverty, along with rising incomes in the last year.
Energy efficiency - Median SAP 2012 rating
There was a substantial improvement in the energy efficiency of the housing stock, as measured by the 2009 Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP), between 2010 and 2014. The median SAP 2009 score increased by 8% from 62 in 2010 to 67 in 2014, although it remained at this level in 2015 and 2016, before increasing to 68 in 2017.
SAP 2009 has now been replaced by the latest, improved, industry standard of SAP 2012. The median SAP 2012 score was 2 points below SAP 2009 in 2014 and 2015, but it has shown an improvement of 2 points in the latest two year from 65 to 67.
The historic distribution of SAP 2009 scores shows that the biggest increase since 2010 has occurred in the 71-80 band, rising from 16% to 33% of the stock. The biggest decreases have occurred in the 51-60 and 41-50 bands, falling by 8.5% and 6.6% points respectively.
The uptake of energy efficiency schemes in Scotland since 2010/11, as shown in the following tables, have made a substantial contribution to improvements in the energy efficiency of the housing stock. (Please note that uptake for some of schemes in 2017/18 was still being finalised at the time of this publication and will be updated in due course.)
| Energy Efficiency Schemes in Scotland | | | | | | | | |
| | | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 |
| Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT) | | | | | | | | |
| Cavity Wall Insulation | | 43,000 | 49,000 | 40,000 | | | | | |
| Loft Insulation | | 65,000 | 112,000 | 142,000 | | | | | |
| Energy Company Obligation (ECO) | | | | | | | | | |
| Cavity Wall Insulation | | | | | 31,000 | 27,000 | 16,000 | 8,000 | 10,000 |
| Loft Insulation | | | | | 10,000 | 21,000 | 8,000 | 13,000 | 7,000 |
| Boiler Scrappage Scheme | | | | | | | | | |
| Households received subsidy for boiler replacement | 7,117 | 12,512 | 19,715 | | | | | |
| Home Insulation Scheme (HIS) & Universal Home Insulation Scheme (UHIS) 2 | | | | | | |
| Loft - virgin | | 6,759 | 9,335 | 14,920 | | | | | |
| Loft - top-up | | 22,808 | 18,884 | 21,017 | | | | | |
| Cavity Wall | | 12,092 | 13,548 | 19,353 | | | | | |
| Internal Wall | | 42 | 106 | 144 | | | | | |
| External Wall | | 0 | 0 | 1,007 | | | | | |
| Other | | 4,661 | 9,378 | 9,806 | | | | | |
| 2 Not final 2012/13 figures | | | | | | | | | |
| Energy Assistance Package (EAP) | | | | | | | | | |
| Stage 1 Energy saving advice | | 126,855 | 42,104 | 51,732 | 43,173 | 42,385 | 36,382 | 33,322 | |
| Stage 2 Income maximisation referral | | 19,856 | 7,808 | 9,933 | 9,841 | 10,873 | 10,329 | 8,396 | |
| Stage 2 Energy Cost reduction referral | 30,939 | 7,786 | 10,375 | 13,595 | 13,767 | 11,455 | 6,790 | |
| Stage 3 Insulation referral | | 9,440 | 5,147 | 870 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Stage 4 Referral for enhanced energy efficiency measures | 24,406 | 15,580 | 20,215 | 5,743 | 6,559 | 4,027 | 8,967 | |
| Referral to Affordable Warmth Scheme (AWS) | | | | 8,139 | 2,320 | 1,992 | 0 | |
| Referral to Area Based Scheme (ABS) | | | | 6,031 | 5,753 | 7,271 | 2,233 | |
| Home Energy Efficiency Programmes Scotland (HEEPS) |
| | 2013/2014 | 2014/15 |
| | Affordable Warmth Scheme | Energy Assistance Scheme | Area Based Schemes | HEEPS Total | Affordable Warmth Scheme | Energy Assistance Scheme | Area Based Schemes | Cashback schemes | HEEPS Total |
| Gas boiler replacement | 2,059 | | 2,834 | 4,893 | | | 431 | 2,108 | 2,539 |
| Gas boiler repair | 3 | | 0 | 3 | | | | | 0 |
| Full gas central heating system | 81 | 5,386 | 0 | 5,467 | | 5,522 | | | 5,522 |
| Other central heating system | 81 | 1,018 | 804 | 1,903 | | 953 | 160 | 7 | 1,120 |
| Heating controls | 552 | | 30 | 582 | | | 3 | 106 | 109 |
| Loft | 28 | | 1,736 | 1,764 | | | 1,797 | 555 | 2,352 |
| Cavity (normal) | 22 | | 2,306 | 2,328 | | | 1,151 | 799 | 1,950 |
| Cavity (HTT) | 1 | | 2,998 | 2,999 | | | 3,205 | | 3,205 |
| Solid wall insulation | | | 12,692 | 12,692 | | | 11,477 | 2,124 | 13,601 |
| Other Insulation | | 374 | 571 | 945 | | 289 | 887 | | 1,176 |
| Draughtproofing | | | 53 | 53 | | | 44 | 81 | 125 |
| Windows | | | 443 | 443 | | | 20 | 6 | 26 |
| Other | | | 286 | 286 | | | 286 | 278 | 564 |
| Total HEEPS | 2,827 | 6,778 | 24,753 | 34,358 | | 6,764 | 19,461 | 6,064 | 32,289 |
| | Home Energy Efficiency Programmes Scotland (HEEPS) |
| | 2015/16 |
| | Area Based Schemes | Cashback schemes | Warmer Homes Scotland | HEEPS Loans | HEEPS Total |
| Gas boiler replacement | 319 | 2,787 | | 207 | 3,313 |
| Gas boiler repair | | | | | - |
| Full gas central heating system | | | 1,567 | 42 | 1,609 |
| Other central heating system | 16 | | 294 | 29 | 339 |
| Heating controls | | 25 | | 1 | 26 |
| Loft | 915 | 465 | 176 | 13 | 1,569 |
| Cavity (normal) | 1,405 | 615 | 80 | 11 | 2,111 |
| Cavity (HTT) | 2,203 | 191 | | | 2,394 |
| Solid wall insulation | 11,819 | 2,282 | 63 | 68 | 14,232 |
| Other Insulation | 816 | 139 | 963 | 25 | 1,943 |
| Draughtproofing | 57 | 206 | | 5 | 268 |
| Windows | 12 | | | 30 | 42 |
| Other | 5 | | | | 5 |
| Total HEEPS | 17,567 | 6,710 | 3,143 | 431 | 27,851 |
| | 2016/17 |
| | Area Based Schemes | Capital Expenditure Scheme | Warmer Homes Scotland | HEEPS loans | HEEPS RSL loans | HEEPS Total |
| Gas boiler replacement | 11 | 1,733 | 3,770 | 888 | 274 | 6,676 |
| Gas boiler repair | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Full gas central heating system | - | - | - | 158 | - | 158 |
| Other central heating system | 40 | 403 | 242 | 39 | 45 | 769 |
| Heating controls | 3 | 168 | 4,010 | 4 | 281 | 4,466 |
| Loft | 757 | 135 | 703 | 64 | 15 | 1,674 |
| Cavity (normal) | 232 | 68 | 170 | 33 | 18 | 521 |
| Cavity (HTT) | 1,654 | 204 | - | - | - | 1,858 |
| Solid wall insulation | 9,454 | 493 | 232 | 178 | 202 | 10,599 |
| Other Insulation | 437 | 325 | 133 | 56 | 4 | 955 |
| Draughtproofing | 90 | 38 | 250 | 17 | - | 395 |
| Windows | 14 | 133 | 555 | 255 | 215 | 1,172 |
| Other | 537 | 148 | 3,639 | 110 | - | 4,434 |
| Total HEEPS | 13,229 | 3,848 | 13,704 | 1,802 | 1,054 | 33,637 |
Disrepair to critical elements
Critical elements are defined as those whose condition is central to a dwelling being wind and weather proof, structurally stable and safeguarded against rapid deterioration.
This indicator measures any level of disrepair to critical elements, no matter how small.
Between 2009 and 2011, there was an increase in the percentage of homes with disrepair to critical elements across all tenure types, with the Scotland level increasing by 6.6% points from 55.3% in 2009 to 61.9% in 2011. Since then the rate decreased for 5 consecutive years, falling by 13.5% points to 48.4% in 2016. The rate of 49.6% in 2017 was not significantly higher than the previous year.
Since 2011, there has been a decrease across all tenures, with the biggest decreases occurring in Housing Association and Co-Operative Stock (down 15.5% points). There were similar decreases for Local Authority Stock and Owner Occupied Stock (both down 12.6% points), with a smaller decrease for Private Rented Stock (down 6.0% points).
In 2017, Local Authority Stock and Private Rented Stock had the highest level of disrepair to critical elements at 61% and 59% respectively.
There is also a clear pattern of older dwellings having a higher level of disrepair than newer dwellings, particularly compared to those built post-1982.
Satisfaction with condition of the home (SCHS)
There was a marked increase in the percentage of people who were satisfied with the condition of their home between 2015 and 2016, rising 3.1% points to 83.7%.
The 2017 percentage of 83.0% is not significantly lower than the previous year.
Percentage of people with access to greenspace (5 minute walk or less)
The results show that in 2017: 64.7% of people can access useable green or blue space areas, within 5 minutes walk or less; 20.2% need to walk 6-10 minutes and 13.9% are 11 or more minutes walk away and 1.2% did not know.
The results show a small (none statistically significant) decrease of 0.7% points in the latest year, in the percentage of people within 5 minutes walk from useable green or blue space. However this has been the 3rd consecutive annual decrease from 68.6% in 2014, with more people now needing to walk longer to access useable greenspace.