On 1st April 2024 we launched our ‘Choice Group Strategy to 2027’, which sets out the framework we will follow over the next three years as we strive to deliver high quality, demand focused, social and affordable housing. One of our strategic priorities is to provide Great Homes, which includes both new build and high quality existing homes.
Developing New Energy Efficient Homes
For over a decade Choice have built homes to higher energy standards, exceeding current requirements. This has included building homes to meet the international ‘Passive House’ standard and also developing homes to various levels of the Code for Sustainable Homes. We continue to work closely with our design teams and contractors to ensure that our new homes are energy efficient, sustainable and meet the needs of our tenants.
In 2024 we have reviewed our design requirements for new homes and have again emphasised the importance of taking a ‘Fabric First’ approach, ensuring high levels of insulation in walls, floors and attics, along with high quality windows and doors, and measures to reduce draughts. Renewable technologies are considered where they are required, with solar PV panels most commonly used on our newest homes to help our tenants to reduce their electricity costs and their impact on the environment.
Improving our Existing Homes
Every year, our Assets Department invests millions of pounds in improving our existing homes. These upgrades include better insulation, new windows and doors, lighting upgrades and boiler replacements. In 2023/24 over £1.2m was invested in new heating systems alone. All of these measures help our customers reduce energy use and alleviate fuel poverty. Energy efficiency improvements also deliver environmental benefits like reduced carbon emissions and improved air quality.
Choice actively use Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) data as a means of assessing the energy efficiency of our homes and identifying energy improvement measures. In our most recent Sustainability & Energy Strategy we set targets to improve our EPC data, our average EPC rating, and to reduce the number of properties with lower EPC ratings.
We are performing well in all of these areas with an average EPC rating of around 76.7 (Band C) for our homes, which is significantly higher than the NI average of 60 (Band D). We are continuing to take steps to improve our average further, including developing new energy efficient homes and targeting existing properties with lower EPC ratings.
By working with EPC assessors in recent years we have also been able to increase the data we hold on our housing stock and now have EPC data for around 94% of our homes, with around 4% of this based on modelling from neighbouring properties. At the start of our current Sustainability & Energy Strategy we had over 200 homes which were known to have a lower EPC rating, of Band E, F or G. In the last few years we have reduced that number to just over 50 EPC Band E or F homes, with no homes now known to have an EPC rating of Band G.
Since 2020, Choice has also committed over £20 million to refurbish 302 former Victoria Housing Estates (VHE) properties. Work undertaken to these properties has significantly increased their EPC ratings, with some homes moving from a Band F to a Band C.
In 2023/24, we also progressed two ‘deep’ retrofit projects, adopting PAS2035 principles. These extensive improvements included enhanced insulation, air tightness measures, mechanical ventilation, thermal bridge modelling, and new heating systems with user-friendly controls. Solar panels have been installed to provide free renewable electricity. These advanced measures will offer additional benefits for future tenants, and monitoring will be conducted to help Choice learn valuable lessons on our journey to net zero.
