Session recap: Wave 2.2 knowledge exchange

Key themes, challenges, advice and lessons learned in our recent Learning Community knowledge-sharing session

Organisations preparing to deliver projects funded through Wave 2.2 of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund came together online on Tuesday 11 February to discuss key challenges, blockers and opportunities they’re facing with their works.

Hosted by our experts here at Salix, the session invited participants to share knowledge and experience with the aim to understand blockers and enable project progression and success.

Lisa Bach, our learning community manager, said: “As with any important projects, preparation and planning is key.

“Our session invited organisations who hadn’t yet started delivering the capital works portion of the scheme to discuss the challenges and blockers they were facing and provide solutions that will ultimately support project success.”

Key challenges spotlighted in the session included procurement, resident engagement, unreliable data, tight timelines and more. 

Discussion amongst attendees provided advice and guidance and tips to unblock these challenges and enable project success. They included:

• engage early with your procurement and legal teams to pre-empt delays
• utilise established procurement frameworks and prepare procurement documents ahead of time
• find your resident advocates or ‘champions’. They provide a powerful avenue to share key messages, particularly with harder-to-reach audiences or residents who don’t immediately see how a project will benefit their home
• make sure your communications are in plain English, accessible and understandable and available in other languages for diverse communities
• co-brand your materials with key stakeholders to support authenticity
• consider in-person demonstrations to showcase what the work really achieves
• use multiple datasets and cross-reference for gaps or inconsistencies
• having existing contractor relationships will support reduced delays
• have clear performance clauses in contracts to hold contractors accountable and keep everything on track
• allocate contingency funds to absorb unexpected costs such as updates to essential frameworks
• set regular meetings with key stakeholders to promptly address any blockers and keep progress on track

Lisa added: “Our Learning Community exists to connect organisations delivering through the Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2 and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2 schemes. 

“By connecting the people working to deliver the schemes, we are able to unpick challenges and unlock possibility, a critical task that benefits both project delivery from end-to-end.”

If you have knowledge to share or challenges you’d like to include in future sessions, please contact us via [email protected] or complete the form on our website.

About the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund

First launched in August 2021, the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund made grant funding available to eligible social housing landlords, including local authorities and housing associations, so that they can install energy efficiency measures, such as insulation and heat pumps, in socially rented homes. 

The scheme is designed to support more social housing tenants, who will benefit from homes that are warmer and cheaper to heat, saving money on their fuel bills, as well as cutting carbon emissions, as part of the UK’s approach to delivering net zero in a way that reduces the burden on British families.

In our capacity as delivery agent for the scheme, we provide assurance to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. We continue to monitor and make refinements, responding to the feedback we receive, to ultimately help all successful grant recipients on their journey to supporting the net zero agenda.

Read more about the scheme through our website.