Retrofit project of the year: the Midlands and Wales

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In 2023, Leicester-based housing association Stonewater secured more than £9m as part of Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) Wave 2.1, and embarked on a large-scale retrofit programme to enhance the energy efficiency of 827 properties – 200 of which were the basis for this entry.

 

The 40,000-home landlord worked with LivGreen, a retrofit specialist partner, on these 200 homes in the village of West Coker, Somerset, as well as in other areas including Oxfordshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and East Sussex. The measures included solar photovoltaic, air source heat pumps, loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and high heat retention storage heaters. 

 

Once the homes had been identified, the project was complicated by a change in contractor, which meant residents had already experienced delays between assessments and the delivery of retrofit improvements. As a result, Stonewater worked not only on the retrofit measures – with outstanding results for residents – but also on rebuilding trust.

 

The judges said:

“Aspirational with a clear focus on social and environmental concerns within an area of critical national concern. This was an effective project – with the added benefit of investment in education resources for a school”