Local homes will be warmer and more energy efficient thanks to £1.6 million government grant

Social housing residents in Three Rivers and Watford will benefit from a £1.6 million grant to make their homes more energy efficient which could help them save hundreds of pounds.

Three Rivers District Council and Watford Borough Council, in partnership with Thrive Homes and Watford Community Housing, will share the grant from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF), to help fund a £3m project to improve the energy efficiency of 139 local homes.

The new funding will be used to improve the energy efficiency of Thrive Homes and Watford Community Housing social housing properties. The investment will help remove approximately 1.5 tonnes of CO2e per home per annum, contributing to the decarbonisation of Three Rivers district and Watford borough.

Cllr Sarah Nelmes, the Leader of Three Rivers District Council, said: “It’s a tough time for householders at the moment, with national news of escalating energy costs – so the timing of this investment could not be better. It will mean that many residents across Three Rivers will hopefully see savings on their energy consumption and warmer homes in the months and years ahead, which in turn will bring the environmental benefits of reducing carbon emissions.”

Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, said: “Our energy-efficiency insulation projects are part of our local efforts to encourage and support people to cut the carbon and financial cost of heating their homes. Our team has done a fantastic job in securing over  £1.6m of grant funding with Three Rivers District Council, Watford Community Housing and Thrive Homes, as well as overseeing the support provided to help residents heat their homes more efficiently and support the town in doing its bit to tackle climate change.”

Jo Barrett, Executive Director of Operations at Thrive Homes said: “Heating homes is responsible for a third of all emissions in the UK, so decarbonising it is essential if the UK is to reach net zero. This grant will allow us to bring some of our least energy-efficient properties to EPC level C, reducing energy consumption, carbon emissions and the impact of rising energy prices for our customers.”

John Swinney, Sustainability Lead for Watford Community Housing said: “This is such important work, both for its environmental benefits and the cost-savings it will provide for tenants at a time when prices are rising and money is tight. I’m really pleased that we can provide a service that will actively benefit residents now, but also futureproof these homes for the next generation of customers. It is vital that we continue to work towards net-zero carbon, ensuring that homes are both affordable and environmentally friendly."

Around 20,000 social homes across England will be made warmer and more energy efficient thanks to £179m of government funding that has been awarded. The grant follows on from the existing Green Homes Grant work and will continue the local upskilling and employment in the green energy sector.

The funding will also support around 9,000 jobs nationally in the green energy sector and deliver carbon emissions savings equivalent to taking up to 6,000 cars off the road in any given year.  The SHDF is a £3.8bn government commitment over a 10-year period to improve the energy performance of socially rented homes.

Watford Community Housing is a not-for-profit housing association, registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, which provides homes and services to over 20 local communities in South-West Hertfordshire. It owns and manages more than 6,800 homes and associated assets and is regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing. Watford Community Housing is also a member of the National Housing Federation (NHF) and has adopted the 2020 NHF Code of Governance.

Tina Barnard is the Chief Executive of Watford Community Housing.

For more information, please visit www.wcht.org.uk

Thrive Homes is a professional landlord with a strong ethical code, providing quality homes where people enjoy living.

Thrive Homes owns and manages around 5,000 homes across the home counties, delivering much-needed homes for social rent, affordable rent, shared ownership and market rent across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Thrive Homes is focused on increasing housing availability for a wider range of customers in one of the most expensive parts of the UK. Homes are at the heart of our business and we pride ourselves on providing quality services so customers can enjoy where they live, with 90% of customer satisfied with the repairs service at Thrive Homes during 2020 and 96% of customers satisfied with the overall lettings process. And over the next ten years the housing association aims to build 5,000 new homes across multiple price points and tenures.

Thrive Homes has been named one of The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For since 2018 with a two star award following the latest survey. We also received the Investors in People Gold Accreditation in 2020.

In 2019, Thrive Homes was the first UK housebuilder or housing association to be awarded the Planet Mark Award and began designing “the green standard” which all of its homes will comply with from 2021 onwards. The developer and professional landlord continues to be a sector leader in sustainability by increasing its green initiatives year on year to ensure its carbon footprint is as low as possible.

For more information, please visit www.thrivehomes.org.uk .