Major housing association achieves crucial energy rating on all homes years before national target

Ashley Norwood, property services manager at Housing 21, said the landlord would invest in new technology in their properties “to avoid using fossil fuels where possible”.

The housing association assessed every accommodation it runs and came up with a sustainability strategy for each property. Residents were consulted on these strategies and were offered ways that they could reduce their own carbon footprints.

Mr Norwood said: “We are committed to ensuring sustainability continues to be a key agenda item for our housing stock.

“All of our building surveying team are trained as domestic energy assessors; we are able to have our net zero goal at the forefront of every investment decision we make, as well as in-house knowledge and understanding of energy improvement works and how they impact the performance of our buildings.”

Housing 21 is based in Birmingham, but operates accommodation across the UK. As well as providing retirement living facilities, the association delivers more than 38,000 hours of social care each week.

The drive to decarbonise is one of the key aims of social housing providers at the moment, as the country aims to hit the government’s net zero target by 2050.

Research by Inside Housing in 2020, which surveyed 207 landlords, revealed that it could cost the social housing sector at least £104bn to achieve net zero.