£5.5M Nottingham retrofit decarbonisation project starts

Almost 80 properties are set to receive life changing retrofit decarbonisation measures in East Leake, Nottinghamshire in a £5.5M project partnership between Sustainable Building Services (UK) Ltd (SBS) and Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing.

The upgrades installed in the properties will raise the EPC Ratings from EPC D to a minimum of EPC C and include the stripping of asbestos throughout the properties, as well as adding new windows, doors, and external wall insulation.

Having started in August, the partnership will deliver roughly four houses per week with completion expected in March 2025. The project was funded by the second wave of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF).

Philip Groves, project manager at SBS, said: “This is a brilliant project that will give the residents a tangible improvement on their quality of life. Not only will the retrofit measures we’ll be installing save on their energy bills each month, but they will also get to enjoy being warmer, healthier, and all round more comfortable in their own homes.

“This is a small but not insignificant piece of progress in the fight against climate change. Projects like these may only seem like a few dozen houses, but over time they add up until eventually the whole of the UK’s housing stock will be prepared for our net zero future.

“Working with Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing has been brilliant as well. As partners they have been enthusiastic throughout to ensure the works we deliver are of the highest quality, and that their residents are well taken care of, both things that align with core SBS values.”

Many of the houses have received little renovations or improvements in almost 80 years and are British Iron and Steel Federation (BISF), a type of steel framed prefabricated house built in large quantities shortly after the second world war. Because of this, SBS and MTVH carried out additional works to ensure the safety of residents including a full assessment of the stanchions, concrete foundation slabs, and chicken mesh wire.