Thirteen invests £1.8m into green upgrades in Stockton on Tees

A project which will see around 60 homes in Stockton on Tees being made more energy efficient is underway.

Housing provider Thirteen, which manages more than 35,000 homes in the North East and Yorkshire, is working in partnership with Esh Construction to retrofit a number of its homes in Stockton on Tees, to improve their energy performance. The £1.8m scheme, procured by Prosper, aims to help customers save on their energy usage and drive down carbon emissions.

The scheme, in the Primrose Hill area of the town, is benefitting from funding by the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, which was set up to support the installation of energy performance measures in social housing properties.

Taking a fabric-first approach, Thirteen is upgrading doors and windows in its properties, installing and upgrading insulation, while ensuring there is appropriate ventilation to reduce the risk of condensation.

These improvements are part of Thirteen’s strategy to have all of its homes with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C by 2030 and meet the government’s net-zero ambitions by 2050 and also reach net zero carbon on its direct business emissions by 2035.

Thirteen’s executive director of assets Paul Jenkins said: “We know that older homes, like these are much less energy efficient, so retrofitting them with improved windows, doors and insulation will make a big difference in helping to improve the energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of our homes.

“This is our second project of this kind, but the first for the Stockton area. We’re carrying out small pilots of up to one hundred homes and installing a range of sensors and technology which will help us to understand the impact this is having on the homes and on our customers’ experience.

“It’s great to see another project underway and we are already planning further investment as we look to scale the retrofit of our existing homes.”

Esh’s head of retrofit solutions Lisa Stafford, said: “Following the official launch of our dedicated retrofit delivery arm at the end of 2022, we are delighted to commence work on our first retrofit project with Thirteen.

“We are a TrustMark-accredited contractor and have acquired the knowledge and processes of the PAS2030 and PAS2035 standards as part of the accreditation process, both of which are required by the Government to be an eligible installer.”

The plans to create greener homes is part of Thirteen’s wider £50m investment plans for the year and five year plan to invest £300m, which will be delivered on its properties across the North East and Yorkshire.

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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