Your partner for a low carbon future
Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund: Wave 2.2
External wall insulation, Cavity wall insulation, Loft insulation, Insulation - draught proofing, Air source heat pump, Solar PV, High thermal doors and windows, Ventilation
South West
Housing
received energy efficiency measures
awarded through SHDF Wave 2.2
Located in Thames Valley in Berkshire, the borough of Slough is well-recognised for its cultural diversity.
Slough Borough Council, which supports residents across the area, owns and manages nearly 6,000 social homes, housing almost 20 per cent of the borough’s residents.
To alleviate risks of residents falling into fuel poverty, as well as progress towards its necessary energy performance certificate (EPC) and net zero targets, the council has been upgrading homes across the area.
To support this work, it was awarded more than £1.3 million in funding through the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2.2.
We support the administration of this funding on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
Throughout delivery of Wave 2.2, Slough maintained consistent communication between council and delivery partners, with Savills acting as project manager and principal contractor Cardo worked with certified installers to deliver technologies including solar PV and external wall insulation.
Council head of housing maintenance Ian Stone said: "The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2.2 retrofit programme was delivered to a high standard, demonstrating effective project management, strong collaboration and quality retrofit outcomes that met programme objectives while improving the energy efficiency and comfort of residents' homes."
The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2.2 retrofit programme was delivered to a high standard, demonstrating effective project management, strong collaboration and quality retrofit outcomes that met programme objectives while improving the energy efficiency and comfort of residents' homes.
Savills consultant Phil McRae, who was manged the project on behalf of the council, said: “One of the key lessons from Wave 2.2 has been the importance of clear communication, close collaboration and working together as one team.
“It’s a large team involving the retrofit assessor, retrofit coordinator, designer, project manager, as well as Cardo and its supply chain delivering the retrofit measures.
“With so many moving parts, effective communication and strong coordination are essential to ensuring the project runs smoothly from start to finish.”
Watch our short video with subcontractors specialising in retrofit design, solar installations and external wall insulation who worked alongside Cardo, Savills and the council as they discuss their roles within the programme.
Although these strong partnerships were noted as a key factor in the project’s success, delivery was not without its challenges.
Resident access refusals presented a persistent challenge during delivery, stunting project progress and in some cases requiring alternative properties to be identified when access to the original homes could not be secured.
Without access, the necessary assessments and installations couldn’t take place, effecting planned delivery timescales.
However, delivery partners were committed to understanding the root cause of the refusals. They found that the residents didn’t always understand how many visits a contractor or other delivery partners would need to visit the property before and after the measure install, , with some expecting access would only be required to install the measure itself.
This insight highlighted the importance of setting clear expectations with residents from the outset.
The council plans to take the lesson on confirming access requirements ahead of time forward and is strengthening its future resident engagement to ensure it is clear on the number of times a delivery partner needs to visit and why.
Watch our short video with Cardo senior resident liaison officer Mary-Ann who discusses the importance of her role and how she helps to guide residents through the retrofit process.
TrustMark lodgement delays presented another challenge during delivery.
As with all government-funded domestic retrofit schemes, all measures installed must be lodged on TrustMark, the government-endorsed quality scheme.
With delayed, missing or incomplete documentation often noted as a cause of delay for lodgements during Wave 2.
To address this a dedicated team member was employed to focus on evidence and compliance.
This team member established regular meetings with contractors and sub-contractors to identify and resolve documentation issues, helping to ensure timely compliance with scheme requirements.
Looking ahead, Slough Borough Council is continuing to build on the lessons learnt and partnerships established to deliver further domestic retrofit works through the government’s Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3.
Through a continuous learning model informed by lessons from earlier phases of the scheme, the council hopes to upgrade an additional 546 homes.
