Two hundred Council homes made more energy efficient
A further 200 social housing properties have been made more energy efficient in the second wave of an ambitious St Albans City and District Council project.
Among the homes to have benefited recently are so-called Airey houses in Nicholas Close, Batchwood, St Albans.
These were built during a post-war housing boom with prefabricated concrete and have a particularly low energy rating.
Upgrade works include external wall insulation, solar panels, loft insulation, enhancements to ventilation and LED lighting systems.
This has not only boosted the properties’ energy efficiency, reducing harmful carbon emissions and cutting tenants’ bills, but it has also improved their appearance as the before and after photographs show.
The Council started on the second wave of its decarbonisation project a year ago with around 780 homes due to be upgraded.
This is part financed by a Government grant from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.
The remaining funding comes from the Council’s ringfenced housing budget, funded by rental income rather than Council Tax.
Work on all 780 homes is scheduled for completion by the Council’s contractor, Correct Contract Services, in autumn next year.
The Council will be submitting a further bid for Government funding on a project, due to start in April 2025, under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 3.
In the first wave, the Council upgraded 136 homes with the support of a grant and 45 homes underwent energy efficiency improvements in an earlier initiative.
Councillor Jacqui Taylor, Chair of the Housing and Inclusion Committee, said:
We are making excellent progress with our latest decarbonisation work.
This is one of the most ambitious projects that any local authority of a similar size has undertaken and we can be proud of the work that is being done.
As a Council, one of our priority goals is to tackle the climate emergency and reduce emissions to net zero by 2030 with this project being one of the many actions we are taking to do that.
The improvements to the Airey houses show that this work can not only enhance the energy efficiency of homes, but it can also make a striking difference to their appearance.
Tenants will also see a reduction in their energy consumption and so will make substantial savings on their bills at a time when energy prices are on the rise again.
As part of the Council's social value initiatives, residents in Nicholas Close are also offered a free swift nest box to be installed under the eaves.
Swifts have declined in number in recent years, partly due to the loss of nesting sites in modern buildings.
The nest boxes will improve biodiversity and help with the conservation of the endangered birds.
Cllr Taylor added:
The swift nest boxes are an imaginative addition to the energy efficiency works and I would urge our tenants to take up the offer.
Photos: below, two Nicholas Close properties before and after the works; top, the Nicholas Close homes.
Contact for the media: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer: 01727 819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.