We’re delighted to be placed on Housing Digital’s UK Top 30 Sustainable Housing Providers list!
According to the Committee on Climate Change, 40% of UK emissions come from households. For Housing 21, sustainability means reducing the emissions generated within our properties.
A huge 89% of our properties already have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) at grade C or above. With our intensive retrofitting programme well underway, we are aiming for 100% of our properties to have achieved this grade by March 2022. This will be significantly ahead of the government’s 2030 target.
We have made a commitment that, from 2023 onwards, we will only install non-fossil fuel heating systems into our developments, and from December 2022 we will start to replace the systems within our existing schemes.
Sustainable values at Housing 21 are implement from the top down. As an organisation, we have an Environmental Steering Group, which is chaired by Bruce Moore, our chief executive, and includes senior representatives from each department.
Like most organisations, many of our plans were put on hold to a certain extent during the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns.
As a result of the work our team managed to get done during lockdown, we now have individual sustainability strategies in place at 175 of our Extra Care and Retirement Living schemes and we have another 300 strategies to put into place.
Residents have a huge role in contributing to and scrutinising these plans, focusing on the green initiatives that will suit their lifestyles.
The strategies consider factors including heating and energy, travel and transport, water usage, waste, and flood risk, and consider the needs of residents in each location. Taking this tailored approach over the last 12 months means achieving better outcomes across the board, while also having the biggest possible impact on residents’ energy bills and living environments.
Sustainability is a key consideration in every team member’s role at Housing 21, and where possible, we like work to be carried out inhouse. All members of the surveying team are Domestic Energy Assessors, with new surveyors taking part in external accredited training when they join the organisation.
The Judges commented: “Good to see EPC C by 2022, new build move from fossil fuels and CEO leading the environmental steering group. Impressive targets for the year ahead.”
The climate crisis is real – but if this list has revealed anything, it’s that the UK housing sector will do whatever it takes to keep it in check.
Click here to see the full list: Top 30 Sustainable Housing Providers: The Results : Housing Digital
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LGBT+ Dementia Training Offered to Housing 21 StaffIn 2017, Housing 21 launched itself as a dementia-friendly organisation; in 2020, we released our Dementia Action plan; and now, as we celebrate Pride month, we are offering sessions discussing the challenges faced by the LGBT+ community when they are impacted by dementia.
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Blog: Sustaining tenancies and Helping HandsPam Mastrantonio, our Executive Director of Retirement Housing, discusses how we are committed to sustaining tenancies for our residents, our target for zero evictions from rent arrears, and the schemes we have in place to achieve these targets.
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100 Years of the Royal British Legion - A Resident's StoryHousing 21 first began as the Royal British Legion Housing Association, which in 1921 began to house disabled ex-servicemen and widows. As RBL marks its 100th anniversary today, we’re sharing one of our resident’s memories from his time in the Navy.
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