Housing Standards Variables

The presence of a category 1 hazard under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) – reflecting both condition and thermal efficiency

The presence of a category 1 hazard under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS)

• reflecting both condition and thermal efficiency

Homes posing a category 1 hazard under the HHSRS - the system includes 29 hazards in the home categorised into category 1 - band A to C (serious) or category 2 - band D onwards (other) based on a weighted evaluation tool.

Note that this includes the hazard of excess cold which is also included as one of the energy efficiency variables.

The presence of a category 1 hazard for falls

Includes:

• falls associated with baths
• falling on the level
• falling on stairs

The HHSRS Falls Model includes the 3 different fall hazards where the vulnerable person is over 60 as listed above.

Dwellings in disrepair

• based on the former Decent Homes Standard criteria for Disrepair

The previous Decent Homes Standard states that a dwelling fails this criterion if it is not found to be in a reasonable state of repair. This is assessed by looking at the age of the dwelling and the condition of a range of building components including walls, roofs, windows, doors, electrics, and heating systems).

Energy efficiency variables

The presence of a category 1 hazard for excess cold

• using SAP ratings as a proxy measure in the same manner as the English House Condition Survey

This hazard looks at households where there is a threat to health arising from sub-optimal indoor temperatures. The HHSRS assessment is based on the lowest income group for this hazard - persons aged 65 years or over. The assessment requires the hazard to be present and potentially affect a person in the low-income age group should they occupy that dwelling. The assessment does not take into account the age of the person actually occupying that dwelling at that particular point in time.

The English Housing Survey (EHS) does not measure the actual temperatures achieved in each dwelling and therefore the presence of this hazard is measured by using the SAP rating as a proxy. Dwellings with a SAP rating of less than 33.52 (SAP 2012 methodology) are considered to be suffering from a category 1 excess cold hazard.

An estimate of the SAP rating which, to emphasise its origin from a reduced set of input variables, is referred to as 'SimpleSAP'

The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) is the UK Government’s standard methodology for home energy cost ratings. SAP ratings allow comparisons of energy efficiency to be made and can show the likely improvements to a dwelling in terms of energy use. The Building Regulations require a SAP assessment to be carried out for all new dwellings and conversions. Local authorities, housing associations, and other landlords also use SAP ratings to estimate the energy efficiency of existing housing. The version on which the Average SAP rating model is based is SAP 2012.

The SAP ratings give a measure of the annual unit energy cost of space and water heating for the dwelling under a standard regime, assuming specific heating patterns and room temperatures. The fuel prices used are the same as those specified in SAP 2012. The SAP takes into account a range of factors that contribute to energy efficiency, which include:

• thermal insulation of the building fabric

• the shape and exposed surfaces of the dwelling

• efficiency and control of the heating system

• the fuel used for space and water heating

• ventilation and solar gain characteristics of the dwelling

Household vulnerability variables

Fuel poverty - 10% definition

This definition states that a household is said to be in fuel poverty if it spends more than 10% of its income on fuel to maintain an adequate level of warmth (usually defined as 21℃ for the main living area and 18℃ for other occupied rooms). This broad definition of fuel costs also includes modelled spending on water heating, lights, appliances, and cooking.

The fuel poverty ratio is defined as:

If this ratio is greater than 0.1 then the household is in fuel poverty.

The definition of full income is the official headline figure and in addition to the basic income measure, it includes income related directly to housing. For example:

• Housing Benefit
• Income Support for Mortgage Interest (ISMI)
• Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance (MPPI)
• Council Tax reduction

Fuel costs are modelled, rather than based on actual spending. They are calculated by combining the fuel requirements of the household with the corresponding fuel prices. The key goal in the modelling is to ensure that the household achieves the adequate level of warmth set out in the definition of fuel poverty whilst also meeting their other domestic fuel requirements.

Fuel poverty - Low Income High Costs definition

The government has recently set out a more recent definition of fuel poverty - the Low Income High Costs (LIHC) definition19. Under this definition, a household is said to be in fuel poverty if:

• they have required fuel costs that are above average (the national median level)
• were they to spend that amount they would be left with a residual income below the official poverty line

Dwellings occupied by a low-income household

A household in receipt of:

• income support
• housing benefit
• attendance allowance
• disability living allowance
• industrial injuries disablement benefit
• war disablement pension
• pension credit
• child tax credit
• working credit

For child tax credit and working tax credit, the household is only considered a low-income household if it has a relevant income of less than £16,105.

The definition also includes households in receipt of Council Tax reductions and income-based Job Seekers Allowance.