The government awarded Selwood Housing £1.4 million from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to improve the energy efficiency of our homes and reduce our carbon emissions. The fund supports the installation of energy performance measures in social homes, allowing the widespread adoption of decarbonised heating systems.
What will the funding achieve?
These measures will help to:
- deliver warm, energy efficient homes
- reduce carbon emissions
- tackle fuel poverty
- support green jobs
- develop the retrofit sector
- improve the comfort, health and well-being of social housing tenants
We believe that everyone has the right to a safe, warm and sustainable home. That is why we believe it is important we do this work. The funding allowed us to retrofit homes that didn’t currently meet the EPA C band. We aim for all of our properties to be rated EPA C or above by 2030. Retrofitting refers to any work we carry out on an existing home to improve its energy efficiency.
What is the benefit of an energy efficient home?
Energy efficient homes are easier to heat and keep warm and are better protected against rising energy prices. Retrofitted homes also tend to have better air quality and ventilation systems, reducing the likeliness of air quality illnesses. Warmer homes tend to suffer less from condensation, which is a troublesome factor in damp and mould. It is clear that these qualities are of vital importance in our customer’s lives and homes.
What changes are being made to homes?
We are working alongside specialist qualified retrofit partners, Low Carbon Exchange (LCX) to carry out the retrofit work. Following home assessments by LCX, recommendations are made for any or all of the following improvements:
- Solar photovoltaic panels which extract the energy from the sun and convert it into electricity
- Loft insulation which creates a barrier in your roof space to prevent heat from escaping
- External wall insulation adds a thermal layer to the outside walls, like placing a warm duvet over your house
- Cavity wall insulation works by insulating the space
- Air source heat pumps which transfer heat absorbed from the outside air to an indoor space
- Quantum heaters (high heat retention heaters) that store up energy during periods of low energy demand when energy is cheaper, turning it into heat only when required. Using thermostats and digital programmers, you can set them to heat the rooms you want at the time you choose.
- Doors & windows can lose 10-20% of their heat through external windows and doors. Installing energy efficient glazing and high thermal performance doors reduces heat loss by stopping the cold from coming in and heat from escaping
In 2023, 72 off-gas bungalows in Westbury received energy upgrades and customer feedback was very positive. Many customers were surprised at how easy it was to have these products installed. One customer said: “When I used to get up in the mornings it was 16.5°C. It’s now 22°C!”
In 2024-25, Selwood Housing are aiming to retrofit a further 80 homes using the funding provided by the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.
