Lambeth (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Lambeth Council completes energy-saving upgrades for hundreds of homes, including loft insulation and new doors/ windows, helping residents cut energy bills.
A nationwide initiative to “retrofit” socially rented housing included improvements to over 700 residences throughout the borough.
The Lambeth refit project, which was funded by the government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNEZ), began in 2021 and was a part of a £6.9 million partnership with Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing.
How will SHDF funds boost UK social housing efficiency?
The funds come from the government department’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF), which aims to increase houses’ energy efficiency all around the United Kingdom.
The completion of the retrofitting project was praised by Lambeth Council Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, Investment, and New Homes, Councillor Danny Adilypour:
“Lambeth was the first London borough to declare a climate emergency in 2019 and we are already progressing efforts to make homes more energy efficient, retrofit homes in the borough, and utilise renewable energy.”
Nearly 17,000 comprehensive condition surveys of the council’s properties and structures have been completed. A new investment plan that will be reviewed by the council’s Cabinet in the upcoming months is being informed by such data.
Under tight financial restrictions, this plan will outline the council’s strategy for managing its housing stock over the ensuing five years.
Cllr Adilypour added: “Our housing stock is relatively old, and much of it suffers as a result of poor quality building in the 1960s and 1970s.
The condition surveys we’ve done help identify which homes are in most need of investment and which are suitable to retrofit and insulate to enable us to reach our carbon reduction aspirations.
Lambeth Council aims to contribute to the delivery of our targets to be Net Zero compatible by 2030, where that is practical and affordable. But the council’s severe financial challenges mean we can’t always do as much as we would wish.”
In addition to replacing windows and doors to lower the risk of moisture and mold growth and stop heat and energy loss through drafts, 550 homes also had solar panels installed.
What was the response of the residents to the energy upgrades?
David Francis, who resides on the Woodvale Estate in West Norwood, Tulse Hill, is one of the residents who is benefiting from the project. Although he had concerns about possible wiring issues, he was eager to participate in the green effort and have solar panels installed on his roof.
When the contractor came to Mr. Francis’ house, he addressed all of his enquiries and assured him that all of the cables running across his ceilings would be concealed. Additionally, Mr. Francis found that the big battery that stores the power produced by the solar panels in the evening could be hidden in the loft.
Mr Francis said:
“The solar panels are excellent quality. Monocrystalline rather than polycrystalline and the back-up batteries store the excess energy – and it’s green energy which is the best thing of all.”
Following the installation, Mr. Francis made the decision to obtain the required certification so that he could sell the extra energy produced by the panels back to the national grid. He has since been assisting his neighbors in doing the same. He made £20 between June and August 2024 by selling back extra electricity via the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) programme.
With Wave 2 of the SHDF project already underway, more Lambeth residents will soon benefit from more retrofitting. The Blenheim Gardens Estate and Tivoli Road will be the main focus of the program’s next phase.