Kirklees Together

A Fartown retrofit housing scheme that replaced tenants’ gas boilers with more energy-efficient and greener heating measures, has been recognised at a competitive national award.

Last Friday, the Abbey Road Retrofit scheme made the finals in the Best Social Housing Category at the MJ Awards, which recognise excellence and innovation in council services.

More about the scheme:

The Homes and Neighbourhoods team worked alongside tenants to design the project after listening to the impacts fuel poverty was having on their lives.

Eight existing council properties at Abbey Road have been included in the project. They benefited from the following energy efficiency measures which will help reduce energy costs:

• The installation of Heat pumps.
• The removal of Gas boilers and cookers to end the reliance on fossil fuel.
• A Loft insulation top-up, cavity wall insulation and external wall insulation.
• The fitting of new roofs and chimneys dropped to remove a possible cold bridge.
• Triple glazed windows.
• Photovoltaic panels and solar thermal panels have been installed to create renewable solar energy.

The scheme, which will help residents with the rising cost of living, exemplifies how installing new systems designed for high energy efficiency, can significantly tackle fuel poverty whilst reducing carbon emissions from buildings.

The project coincides with our aims to make Kirklees carbon neutral by 2038 and ensure the transition to net-zero leaves no one behind. Early estimates shave shown that these green technologies have reduced these properties’ carbon emissions by 50% to 75%. Saving tenants between £190 to £350 a year on their energy bills.

The performance of these measures will be monitored to inform future schemes. We will stay in close contact with tenants to understand their cost savings and the efficiency of the properties.

Cllr Cathy Scott, Cabinet Member for Housing and Democracy, said:

“I’m delighted that the Homes & Neighbourhoods team’s dedication to deliver this innovative green scheme has been recognised at these national awards.

“We take our commitments to improve council housing and tackle the climate emergency seriously. The choice between heating and eating is a stark choice many of our tenants and residents are having to make. Especially with the recent hikes in energy prices. This scheme shows that existing housing can be redesigned to use renewable energy and energy-efficient insulation, to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings, and significantly reduce tenants’ energy bills.”