More than 100 London residents are now benefitting from warmer homes and lower energy bills
Video from Wandle Housing Association demonstrates commitment to home improvements for tenants
South-London based housing provider Wandle Housing Association owns and manages more than 7,000 properties which thousands of residents call home.
It aims to support people across to area who are most in need of housing.
A part of that commitment entails ensuring homes are warm, sustainable, comfortable and affordable to heat, both now and into the future.
However, the housing association acknowledges that, for around 1,000 homes in its portfolio of housing stock, improvements are required to bring properties up to the EPC-C standard that ensures residents can best benefit.
EPC ratings show how energy efficient a property is, considering insulation, lighting and heating. EPCs are designed to help people to understand the energy performance of a home.
The numerical scale uses bandings to rate from a ‘very efficient’ A to an ‘inefficient’ G.
Wandle head of asset management Andy Arnold said: “Our ambition is to improve the energy efficiency of some of our worst-performing properties.
“Around 1,000 of our homes were below an EPC-C, so we’ve got a bit of a journey to embark upon to bring those up to standard by the 2030 deadline.”
Our ambition is to improve the energy efficiency of some of our worst-performing properties.
Guided by an asset management strategy that sets guidance and targets for how the association can achieve this across the next few years, Wandle has utilised government funding to unlock progress against its targets.
115 of the worst-performing homes have now been upgraded thanks to more than £720,000 in grant funding through the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2.2.
We support the administration of the funds for this scheme on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
To support its work to upgrade these and further homes, Wandle has produced a short video which details its ambitions and explains the benefits that energy efficient retrofit upgrades can have for tenants.
Key to the helping Wandle to bring its vision to life within its short video is resident Errol.
Errol received solar panels which were funded through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2.2 scheme.
Although initially sceptical about what felt ‘too good to be true’, Errol said: “After I got the first few bills once everything was done, from then, I was a believer.
“You can only benefit from it – and I’ll be the first house on the road with it.”
After I got the first few bills once everything was done, from then, I was a believer.
Although Errol acknowledges that it was minorly disruptive as tradesmen completed the work, he’s now a proud advocate for energy efficiency upgrades and is encouraging others to take up the offer if they’re offered the opportunity to participate in future projects or waves of the scheme.
Watch Wandle Housing Association’s short video below to see more about Wandle’s approach and hear more about Errol’s experience with upgrades at his home.
Video credit: Wandle Housing Association
The video also reiterates the association’s gratitude for residents’ patience, cooperation and support while it works to carry out this essential work.
