How PfH helped Dunbritton Housing Association get on top of their EPCs

Keeping on top of compliance: How PfH helped Dunbritton clear a Covid backlog and get their EPC data back on track

Dunbritton Housing Association manages just under 1,000 homes across West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute. Like many social landlords, the pandemic created a real headache when it came to keeping Energy Performance Certificates up to date. PfH helped them find a fast, compliant solution and get the accurate data they needed to plan ahead.

The problem

A growing backlog, limited resource, and a legal requirement that couldn’t wait

When Covid hit, access to properties became incredibly difficult. For Dunbritton, that meant a significant number of EPCs lapsed in 2020 and 2021 without being renewed. By early 2022, the backlog had built up to the point where the Association didn’t have the internal resource to clear it quickly on their own.

This wasn’t just an admin problem. All rented accommodation in Scotland is legally required to hold a valid EPC, so the pressure to act was real. They needed a qualified consultant, and they needed one fast.

The solution

A direct award that saved time without cutting corners

Dunbritton got in touch with PfH, and we sat down with them to work through what they actually needed. Given the urgency, a full tender process simply wasn’t practical. Instead, we were able to bring in M4 Consultants on a direct award basis through the Consultancy Lot of our Planned Works (EESSH2) framework a compliant route that let us move quickly without compromising on quality.

We set up a joint meeting between all parties, M4 put together a proposal, and before long they were contracted to carry out 500 EPCs on the Association’s behalf over a 12-month period.

The results

A cleared backlog, accurate data, and a team that could get back to other priorities

M4 hit the ground running, prioritising the overdue EPCs first before working through those falling due in 2022 and 2023. By the end of the contract, Dunbritton had a complete, up-to-date picture of their stock’s energy performance, exactly the kind of accurate data you need when you’re planning energy efficiency investment.

Just as importantly, the Association’s own team didn’t have to carry the burden of sourcing and managing this themselves during what was already a demanding period. Using the PfH Scotland framework freed them up to focus where they were needed most.

In their own words

“Use of the PfH framework for EPC Certification has proved to be beneficial for the Association, it’s resulted in us being able to reallocate staff resources to other areas of the business in times of high demand.

Covid-19 posed a detrimental effect to information gathering for the Association, whereby properties due for an expiring EPC in 2020 and 2021 weren’t fully assessed for energy performance. Being a member of PfH Scotland allowed us to access the framework for EPC certification and directly award, saving valuable staff time as well as ensuring we comply with the rules set out in our procurement strategy and policy.”

Paul Sweeney, Asset Manager, Dunbritton Housing Association