Posted on 22/03/2023
The Greener Futures Partnership (GFP) has been successful in securing more than £40m in funding from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to retrofit over 5,000 homes.
The five partners within the GFP – Anchor, Abri, Home Group, Hyde Group and Sanctuary – plan to retrofit 5,495 homes with a total planned investment of over £90m.
The funding from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is the 3rd highest allocation at £40.4m. It was led by Sanctuary, and now means the GFP can start its two and half year retrofit project.
Through the project, the GFP plan to increase Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings of homes at scale, especially those most in need.
The aim of the work is to improve the buildings’ thermal performance, while also reducing carbon emissions and stabilising customer fuel bills.
The enhancements will include the installation of external wall insulation, cavity wall and loft insulation top-ups, new energy efficient double-glazing, front and rear door replacements.
In addition, some homes will have existing heating and hot water systems replaced with technology such as air source heat pumps, and solar PV with battery storage.
Monitoring equipment will also be fitted to a number of different property types, to help measure how successful the retrofit works have been in terms of reducing carbon and increasing thermal performance.
Rose Bean, Chair of the Greener Futures Partnership Executive Committee, said: “We’re delighted to get this over the line. We’ve worked extremely hard to ensure our bid was deliverable, cost effective and above all, brings significant benefit to our customers.
“Our main aims are to have an agreed and tested approach to delivering sustainable housing, use our strong partnership to procure services; build skills and capacity in the sector, improve energy efficiency and create healthier homes. This project will allow us to meet all of these.”
Another key goal for the GFP is to raise awareness of more sustainable living and support customers during the change needed to achieve it.
The partnership has been working with its customers to engage on the need to green its homes and communities. Even more engagement will take place for this project.
Customers will receive bespoke in-home energy advice, as well as full training on how to use the technology effectively. Workshops, visits, and open days will all take place.
The GFP is fast becoming a trusted voice on sustainability within the social housing sector, and on retrofitting in particular. Last year it published extensive research, via Northumbria University, on the best ways to retrofit and the technologies to support it.
It has since commissioned a further four pieces of research to be published this year, including work with the Centre for Social Justice, which will examine the opportunity for a low-carbon housing industrial strategy to provide innovation, training, and employment in communities facing multiple forms of deprivation.
For more information or media enquiries, contact Steve Heywood on 07778145869 or at [email protected]