Independent East*, an informal alliance of housing associations based in Norfolk and Suffolk, has secured almost £9m in funding to boost energy efficiency in hundreds of social housing homes. The funding is being administered through Broadlands Housing Association, as the group lead. The funding from Wave 2 of the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF Wave 2.1) will mean energy-saving measures can be put in place in 800 homes such as loft insulation and new windows. The upgrades will mean homes currently below Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C will be brought up to that standard and 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 wellbeing of tenants
Our share will be spent on improving the standard of 434 homes over the next two years making them more energy efficient and cheaper to heat. Last year the government awarded £1.9m to us and Broadland District Council, to upgrade social housing provided by us. The funding is being spent on improving 126 of our lowest energy ‘E rated’ homes within the financial year. The SHDF Wave 2.1 funding will allow the programme to be expanded so that improvements can now be made to ‘D rated’ homes as well, significantly reducing the heating demand of the homes.
Jason McCormick, Director of Sustainability at Saffron, said: “We are really pleased to have received this funding alongside our partners in Independent East. We have learnt a lot from what we were able to carry out with the Wave 1 funding, as we work with the latest technology to provide quality and sustainable homes for our tenants. As the cost of living continues to rise, this new funding will benefit hundreds more of our tenants and their families, giving them warmer homes, which will be cheaper, more efficient and produce less carbon dioxide to heat.”
The funding breakdown between the housing associations is as follows:
- Saffron Housing Trust = £4,733.094.29
- Broadland Housing = £815,913.61
- Freebridge Housing = £1,323,005.06
- Havebury Housing Partnership = £1,295,148.72
- Orwell Housing = £819,311.71
Alongside this, each organisation will match their funding from their own budgets.
* Independent East is an informal alliance of five community‐focused housing associations in the East of England – Broadland Housing, Freebridge Community Housing, Havebury Housing Partnership, Saffron Housing Trust and Orwell Housing Association. The group’s purpose is to share ideas and best practice to continually improve services and better the lives of their tenants.