A just transition to net zero: Clarion’s plan to improve lives in a changing climate
“Our Climate Transition Plan is more than a technical roadmap – it outlines our aim to ensure the homes we provide today, and those we will build tomorrow, support a future where communities can thrive in a changing climate.”
By Miles Lewis, Director of Sustainability at Clarion Housing Group
When I joined Clarion Housing Group back in 2022, I knew I was stepping into an organisation with deep roots and ambitious goals. But it wasn’t until we began shaping Clarion’s first-ever Climate Transition Plan that I truly appreciated the scale of our commitment to a fair, inclusive and actionable path to net zero.
As the UK’s largest housing association – more than 125,000 homes and 125 years of history – we have a responsibility not just to cut carbon, but to improve lives. And that philosophy sits at the very heart of our plan.
The starting point for this work was simple but sobering: climate change is already reshaping daily life for many of our residents. Increasing temperatures, volatile energy prices, health vulnerabilities and the growing frequency of extreme weather events all converge to make social housing communities disproportionately exposed.
Our plan had to do more than reduce emissions on a spreadsheet – it needed to outline how we plan to deliver warmer, healthier, more energy efficient homes for the people who rely on us. That guiding principle shaped every decision that followed.
Building the plan: 18 months of listening and learning
Developing the Climate Transition Plan wasn’t a theoretical exercise. It took 18 months of baselining, data modelling, and engagement with residents, partners, policymakers and technical experts. We aligned the plan with industry-leading frameworks to ensure it could withstand scrutiny – because transparency and accountability are essential if we’re to lead the sector effectively.
A key challenge became evident early on: modelling showed that even with significant investment and planned interventions, we still faced a 15-20% shortfall on our pathway to net zero by 2050. Instead of shying away from this, we chose to highlight it publicly. It’s crucial that climate strategies are honest about the uncertainties, constraints and innovations still needed to close the gap.
Four pillars for a net zero future
Our Climate Transition Plan is built on four focus areas that require long-term action, innovation and partnership:
- Decarbonising existing homes.
- Reducing embodied carbon in new developments.
- Cutting energy use across Clarion’s business operations.
- Bridging the remaining gap to net zero through collaboration, advocacy and emerging technologies.
These pillars provide the roadmap for a just transition – one which empowers residents rather than burdening them.
And although the plan was developed before the publication of our ‘Five New Giants of Opportunity’ report, it naturally aligns with many of the values captured, particularly the importance of trust. By being transparent about the challenges we face and engaging residents throughout the process, we’re helping to build the kind of trust that is essential for a fair and inclusive transition.
Retrofitting, electrification and scaling renewable energy
One of the most ambitious aspects of the plan is the scale of our retrofit and electrification programme.
As part of this programme, across our portfolio we will have to replace over 80,000 individual gas boilers with low carbon alternatives, transition over 150 heat networks and install solar panels across a significant proportion of our residents’ homes.
These numbers reflect real homes, real families, and real opportunities to reduce inequality. Retrofitting can transform a home, making it more comfortable, healthier and energy efficient. Electrifying heating systems removes long-term dependence on gas, while solar generation helps residents guard against price spikes that disproportionately impact low-income households.
We’re also developing a major decarbonisation strategy for our heat networks, addressing one of the more technically challenging – and emission‑intensive – parts of our operations.
Innovative projects leading the way
We know we can’t reach net zero alone, and that’s why we’re focusing our efforts on pioneering partnerships. For example, our collaboration with Octopus Energy and The Hill Group has helped deliver the UK’s first affordable rent ‘Zero Bills’ homes, guaranteeing residents zero energy bills for at least five years.
Building on this, we’ve also teamed up with Octopus Energy to retrofit ten of our existing homes in Kent with cutting-edge technology to make them eligible for Octopus’ innovative ‘Zero Bills’ tariff – quite an achievement for homes built in the 1950s.
In addition, we’re supporting innovative projects aimed at bringing forward bio-based construction materials through The William Sutton Prize, and we continue to partner with the UK Green Building Council on their Regenerative Places programme which aims to look at how place-based retrofit can act as a catalyst to embed wider regenerative benefits to local communities.
These collaborations are helping us test technologies and design approaches that simply didn’t exist a few years ago, helping us to get ahead of the curve as we strive to close the remaining emissions gap.
Looking ahead: a just, resident‑centred transition
For all the data, modelling and long-term forecasting, what continues to motivate me is the knowledge that this transition is fundamentally about people. Carbon may be the metric, but wellbeing is the outcome.
As we prepare to reflect on progress in the first year of the Climate Transition Plan in our Making a Difference report published this autumn, we are realistic about the challenges we continue to face.
We’ll continue to be honest about these challenges, bold in our ambitions, and relentless in our commitment to ensuring our residents benefit from the transition.
Our Climate Transition Plan is more than a technical roadmap – it outlines our aim to ensure the homes we provide today, and those we will build tomorrow, support a future where communities can thrive in a changing climate.
This piece first appeared on the website of elementalLONDON on 1 April 2026.