Whilst the drive towards net zero carbon is imperative for protecting our environment and futures, we’re acutely aware that the journey towards a sustainable future may have a negative impact financially on those already struggling to make ends meet. We’re creating a roadmap that will not only get us to carbon neutrality but also ensures the end results are affordable and supportive of our customers and communities.
One of our immediate actions is to improve the energy efficiency of our current homes to ensure all our stock has an EPC rating of D or above. We’re also redesigning our approach to building new homes to help reduce our carbon footprint and develop a plan for carbon neutrality in construction. A big part of this will be increasing our use of factory-built/offsite manufactured homes, creating new innovative partnerships and ensuring the new homes we build are as energy efficient as possible. We’re making good progress here, and last year we built one of the largest numbers of new homes rated EPC A for energy efficiency in the sector based on data from Inside Housing.