Social housing challenges in the low - carbon transformation towards N et Z ero

The
aim
of this studentship is to examine
the
changing patterns of energy use and
low
-
carbon
technology deployment in the social housing sector,
within the context of the
UK's drive to
achieve net zero
carbon emissions until 2050.
It starts from the premise that
'no one must be left
behind' in societal transformations towards a climate friendly future
(Filho
et al.
2019)
.
The UK is
currently embarking on such a transformation, largely driven by the 'net zero'
pledge
. However,
the movement towards a
l
ow
-
carbon
future require
s
deep
social, economic and political
changes
in energy technologies and consumption patterns, with
far
-
reaching
implications on how
nations,
cities and homes are planned
and
lived in
(Bridge
et al.
2013)
.
As such 'net zero' is a
fundamentally geographical concern
, touching upon fundamental relations of place, space and territory
(Bouzarovski
et al.
2017)
.
Moreover, i
t is now well established that c
limate policies
can
both
transform existing inequalities
and
create new ones as they unfold.
E
nergy transitions may
adversely affect the social, economic and political
vulnerability of actors involved in
,
and affected
by
,
the process; from individual households to entire states
(Sovacool
et al.
2019)
.
Challenges at the energy
-
equity interface in the context of net zero are particularly pronounced in
the social housing sector, owing to
the h
igher proportion of socio
-
economic vulnerabilities
-
particularly lower incomes and employment precarity
-
faced by people living in this part of the
housing stock
(Waitt and Harada 2019)
.
While
the
u
pgrading
of
social housing properties wit
h
low
-
carbon technologies is associated with multiple challenges,
there is limited knowledge on
how to improve the energy performance of such properties while ensuring the full participation,
trust and engagement of affected residents