Energy efficiency

Energy efficient homes - the Energiesprong approach

photo of a completed retrofit homeWe are committed to improving the lives of our residents by providing good quality homes to live in at an affordable price. 

Many of our residents find the cost of heating and powering their homes can take a significant portion of their income, and some people cut back on heating their homes adequately or only when absolutely necessary to minimise the cost. 

By investing in energy-efficient home upgrades, we are helping to make heating your home more affordable.

Climate emergency

We support the London Borough of Sutton’s climate emergency pledge to cut carbon emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions are the release of carbon and other gases into the atmosphere which are harmful to the environment.

Our energy-efficient home improvement programmes have the dual objectives of helping our residents live in warm and affordable homes while reducing our impact on the environment.

Over the next 10 years, we will be implementing energy-saving measures across the majority of our properties to achieve these aims.

Whole-house retrofits

The London Borough of Sutton has been successful in attracting a significant amount of funding to kick-start their ambitious energy-saving programme. The first two phases of what is known as a ‘whole house retrofit’ have already started to be delivered to 12 homes that we manage in the Coulsdon area. 

The homes have had their external walls and roof areas covered in thick insulation to reduce heat loss. Windows and doors have been replaced and solar panels have been installed. The transformed homes will now generate most of the energy needed for their heating, hot water and electrical appliances. 

What is meant by whole-house retrofit? 

Retrofit means making changes to an existing property to make it more energy-efficient. The 'whole-house' part of this means we look at the whole house to see what needs to be done to make it as energy efficient as possible, and we complete these works in one go.

This is a different approach to previous programmes that upgraded windows or put insulation in a loft. These measures are good and can make a difference, but they don’t make the significant difference we need to achieve our dual aims. With a whole-house retrofit, we can make significant improvements in the ability of the home to retain heat and minimise the amount of energy needed. 

A whole-house retrofit:

  • reduces the need for heating and cooling
  • reduces draughts and cold areas
  • improves feelings of comfort
  • improves internal air quality
  • provides renewable electricity
  • makes electric heating affordable

The images below show 'before and after' images of a Sutton Housing Partnership home in Coulsdon that was completed during the first phase of the programme. 

photo shows home before the retrofit work  photo of Sutton home in Coulsdon after retrofit

Energy Leap

We are delivering our current energy-saving home improvements with our partner organisation EnergieSprong - which is Dutch for energy leap. 

EnergieSprong is a Dutch company leading the way in improving social housing in the Netherlands. The approach has been adopted in a number of countries and we are working with EnergieSprong UK, a company registered in the UK with UK employees.

The EnergieSprong approach is to look at innovative ways of achieving very well insulated and energy-efficient properties that can be powered by heat pumps. The designs are specific for each property to maximise the outcomes. 

Project phases

There are several phases of the project.

  • Phase 1 has seen five properties completed in 2021
  • Phase 2 will see a further 10 properties completed by July 2022
  • Phase 3 a further 40 homes completed by September 2023

Funding

There is a significant cost involved in making these changes and we have been fortunate to receive funding to make this possible from:

Further funding will be required to deliver more energy-saving home improvements whether through the EnergieSprong model or a more traditional model focusing on fewer improvements at one time. 

We will continue to work with the London Borough of Sutton to maximise grant income to help deliver our ambitions of carbon neutrality over the coming years.

Sign up for a warmer home

We have written to some residents inviting them to sign up for an energy-efficient home improvement programme of works. If you have not received a letter from us, you can still sign up for energy-saving home improvements when new opportunities become available.

Please complete one of the online forms below so that we can start your journey to a warmer home.