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

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Theaimof this studentship is to examinethechanging patterns of energy use andlow-carbontechnology deployment in the social housing sector,within the context of theUK's drive toachieve net zerocarbon emissions until 2050.It starts from the premise that'no one must be leftbehind' in societal transformations towards a climate friendly future(Filhoet al.2019).The UK iscurrently embarking on such a transformation, largely driven by the 'net zero'pledge. However,the movement towards alow-carbonfuture requiresdeepsocial, economic and politicalchangesin energy technologies and consumption patterns, withfar-reachingimplications on hownations,cities and homes are plannedandlived in(Bridgeet al.2013).As such 'net zero' is afundamentally geographical concern, touching upon fundamental relations of place, space and territory(Bouzarovskiet al.2017).Moreover, it is now well established that climate policiescanbothtransform existing inequalitiesandcreate new ones as they unfold.Energy transitions mayadversely affect the social, economic and politicalvulnerability of actors involved in,and affectedby,the process; from individual households to entire states(Sovacoolet al.2019).Challenges at the energy-equity interface in the context of net zero are particularly pronounced inthe social housing sector, owing tothe higher proportion of socio-economic vulnerabilities-particularly lower incomes and employment precarity-faced by people living in this part of thehousing stock(Waitt and Harada 2019).Whiletheupgradingofsocial housing properties withlow-carbon technologies is associated with multiple challenges,there is limited knowledge onhow to improve the energy performance of such properties while ensuring the full participation,trust and engagement of affected residents