We want all our residents to feel warm, safe, and comfortable in their homes. To help achieve this, we’ve created a special fund to improve the energy efficiency of 1000 homes over the next two years.
Our fund has been boosted with money from the government’s social housing decarbonisation scheme – which aims to reduce energy usage and lower bills for social housing tenants across the UK.
Which homes are eligible?
Our fund is aimed at improving our least energy efficient homes, which have an energy performance certificate (EPC) banding of D or below. An EPC will give a home a rating from A (very efficient) to G (inefficient). A very efficient home might have things like very good insulation in walls and roofs, an efficient heating system, or renewables like solar panels.
If we’ve contacted you about the programme, it means we’ve identified your home as being potentially eligible for funding, using the energy performance information we hold about your home.
What is the cost of the scheme to tenants?
Tenants will receive the home energy efficiency improvements free of charge. The cost of installing energy improvements will be met by NHG and is part funded by the government’s social housing decarbonisation fund.
What is the benefit to you?
Energy improvements, like new windows and loft insulation, should make your home more energy efficient, meaning it stays warm for longer and is easier and cheaper to heat.
What is on offer?
Our fund will focus on installing a range of insulation improvements such as wall and loft insulation and more efficient glazing to improve the comfort of homes and reduce energy usage.
Please note that each home will need to be surveyed to determine the most appropriate package of improvements.
The good news is, there are lots of improvements that will help residents stay warm and save energy. Some of the improvements we can make are:
- Wall insulation (both internal, external insulation and cavity wall insulation)
- Draught proofing
- Loft insulation
- High performing, energy efficient windows and doors
- Solar panels that generate electricity
We are working with two partners – Equans and Mulalley, to install energy improvements in homes.
What is an energy survey?
Before home energy efficiency improvements can be made to your home, we need to complete an energy survey.
Depending on the size of your home, the survey will likely take 60-90 minutes, and includes two steps:
- A set of questions: your energy surveyor will ask you a series of questions about your home, including how it is used and any issues which you are aware of in terms of heating and energy.
- Examining the home: the surveyor will check key areas where heat enters and escapes from a home – like walls, lofts and windows. If you have a loft, the assessor will need access to it to check the insulation, as it’s a common area where heat is lost. Surveyors may also need to drill small holes into the external walls of some of the buildings – to check whether there is any insulation in the cavity, and if so, the condition of this. Any holes drilled will be filled and made good immediately after.
They may also sketch a floor plan and take photos of your homes, externally and internally. Access will be needed to all the rooms, outside areas, electric and gas meter cupboard areas.
Air pressure tests: the assessor may carry out an air pressure test to find out how much air normally escapes through windows, doors and your roof. The test usually involves 2 or 3 short bursts of air. You do not need to do anything other than keeping doors and windows closed and you can go about normal activities when this is done.
Who will carry out my home energy survey?
Your home assessment will be carried out by a qualified energy surveyor (also known as retrofit assessor) from Equans or Mulalley. You can tell that an assessor is working for us, as they will carry an ID card to show you.
What happens next?
- We have written to you, to explain the potential for improvement works
- To do this, we need one of our delivery partners Equans or Mulalley to visit your home to carry out a survey
- Our team will then review the results of the survey and develop a set of proposals for improvements to your property
- We will arrange a suitable time for our contractor to visit your home again to install these improvements
- You should then start to feel the benefit of a warmer, more comfortable home
- We will remain in contact with you throughout the process to ensure you are kept up to date and help to address any questions or concerns you may have