Just Transition

In 2024, Tai Pawb and the OU launched a landmark study, "A Fair and Equitable Transition?", to investigate how residential decarbonisation impacts social housing tenants in Wales. Our research involved focus groups with diverse tenants across rural and urban areas, including disabled people, ethnic minority households, and people with experience of homelessness.

Our key findings revealed:

• Mixed Outcomes: While some tenants saw life-changing bill reductions, others faced higher costs due to confusing technology and a lack of housing support.
• Exclusion of Disabled Tenants: Top-down retrofit designs often ignore mobility needs, leaving some tenants unable to operate basic functions like opening new window systems.
• Overheating Risks: High levels of insulation intended for winter warmth are causing unbearable indoor temperatures during summer, exacerbating health issues.
• Housing Justice: For groups like refugees and people seeking sanctuary, the transition is shaped by substandard temporary housing and limited power over their living conditions.

Building on these findings, we are now delivering Climate & Community Cafés across Wales to create peer-learning spaces where tenants can share practical advice and influence future climate policy.

Advocating for Private Renters: Our work extends to the Private Rented Sector (PRS) through our PRS Champions project in Gwent. We are investigating how government subsidies for retrofitting can be paired with stronger housing rights to prevent "renoviction" and ensure low-income tenants in the private sector also benefit from greener, more affordable homes.

Join a Climate & Community Café: We are hosting informal gatherings across Wales for tenants to share tips and troubleshoot new technologies.

Contact us: If your housing association wants to host a café or adopt our Equality Impact Toolkit, email us at info@taipawb.org.