Realising retrofit
The challenge of decarbonising the UK’s existing housing stock is significant, and will require innovative policy, investment and logistical solutions to solve it. Not doing so will make meeting the Government’s net zero ambitions almost impossible.
Stonewater is committed to providing homes that are energy efficient and contributing to Government’s net zero targets, as well as understanding how the social housing sector can lead the decarbonisation agenda.
We have supported research by the leading think tank IPPR looking at the real opportunity to deliver retrofit in the social housing sector.
This research explores the huge opportunities that could be realised from this home energy revolution, where the current policies are failing and why, before outlining the preferred technologies to deliver the strategy and how it should be delivered and paid for.
The video below outlines the huge challenges for our sector:
Research findings
GreenGo: Unlocking an energy efficiency and clean heat revolution
Stonewater recently supported a new, short report by IPPR, titled GreenGo: Unlocking an energy efficiency and clean heat revolution, which builds on their previous work (see below) and sets out how retrofit programmes can solve many of the challenges facing the sector today. This includes how a retrofit revolution could help to solve the cost-of-living and energy security challenges.
Read the reportAll hands to the pump: A home improvement plan for England
In 2019, we supported IPPR’s All hands to the pump: A home improvement plan for England report, which laid out the huge opportunities that could be realised from this home energy revolution, where the current policies are failing and why. The report concluded that heat pumps offer a long-term, viable solution to tackling the large-scale decarbonisation of England’s housing stock.
Read the reportReinventing homes
The cost of living crisis, rising energy bills and adjusting to the ‘new normal’ are all things that have an impact on our customers’ lives. Find out more about our work to reduce energy bills through innovative heating solutions in the film below.
Our credentials
Stonewater has received significant recognition for our work in this area.
In July 2021 we were named in the Top 3 most sustainable housing associations in the UK by Housing Digital – and the highest with a national portfolio.
Alongside this, our Chief Executive Nicholas Harris has recently been appointed as the Vice-Chair of the National Housing Federation’s Sustainability Strategy Group, which will steer the sector’s response to tackling the challenges of sustainability and climate change.
Our campaign to raise the profile of decarbonisation in housing with politicians and the housing sector was also recently shortlisted for the PR Week 2021 Awards for Public Affairs Campaign of the Year.
We have also been awarded a Silver ‘SHIFT’ rating, an independent assessment and accreditation scheme that measures organisations against environmental targets.
News and views
Read the latest news and views about our work in partnership with IPPR.
Our latest podcast episode highlights the key recommendations from the report. Have a listen below: