Energy efficiency project helps customers save energy and money

A recent pilot project to boost the energy performance of six of our least energy efficient homes is shaping our future strategy to reduce bills and cut carbon emissions for customers.

Our programme of green upgrades to selected properties with poor energy performance was carried out between October 2021 and September 2022, working with our contractor Jackson & Jackson.

Our aim was to create a scalable blueprint for how we will improve the energy efficiency of many more of our homes to benefit our customers, futureproof our neighbourhoods and achieve the sustainability targets that we have set in our Big Plan and Sustainability Strategy.

We worked with residents in neighbourhoods across the borough to agree and install measures such as solar panels, triple glazed windows, new doors, and cavity wall insulation - all carefully tailored to each of the six homes’ requirements. One property also had its gas central heating system replaced with renewable energy technology in the form of an air source heat pump.

The impact

To support the project we received £30k from the government funded Green Homes Grant and we invested £220k to make it a success. Early results show that the work is having positive benefits.

The investment has led to a significant improvement in the energy efficiency of all six properties - bringing the homes up to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) B, from band D or E.

We predict that the modifications will also save each home around £400 per year on their energy bills. We will be monitoring energy consumption through smart thermostats over the coming years and working with customers to minimise their energy use and increase cost savings.

Our customer Glenys Evans is among the customers whose home has benefitted from the retrofitting work. She says:

“I know when I put my heating on now, the house stays warmer for longer when it’s gone off, so the triple glazing and new doors are really making a difference to me.”

Our future plans

Steve Mather, our Director for Assets and Sustainability said: “We have ambitions to improve energy efficiency and decarbonise our homes to help tackle climate change and deliver a range of other benefits – from helping our customers to save money, tackling fuel poverty, providing high quality, sustainable homes; and to boost the economy and create green jobs too.

“Making energy efficiency improvements to our existing homes is a significant part of our plan and why this pilot programme has been crucial.

“It’s helped us and our customers to measure the impact that sustainable technologies can have and understand the of the size of the retrofitting challenge ahead – ultimately moving us closer to ambitious net zero carbon targets while making a positive difference to our customers and communities.”

Improving the energy performance of more than 200 homes by June

Learning from the six-home pilot project is already helping to inform our current work to improve the energy performance of more than 200 homes rated EPC D or below by June this year. This programme has received a £1million grant from the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) and we have contributed £600k. Work by our contractor Connolly gets underway this month.

Over the next five years, we will be retrofitting energy efficiency measures to a further 3,800 homes to help us reach net zero carbon targets, tackle fuel poverty and ensure we continue to provide warm, safe, sustainable places for customers to live.

Stay up to date with development here on our website.