Hailed as leaders in the sector for retrofit, and making homes fit for the future, Homes in Somerset championed social housing in the South West, as the only ALMO represented at a recent All Party Parliamentary Group meeting at Westminster.
With representatives from across the housing sector attending the meeting on “Making Homes Fit for the Future and Built to Last”, Property Services, Investment and Sustainability Manager Rik Saunders and Retrofit Coordinator James Nagle, joined the discussions about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to future-proofing homes.
HiS was described as the new “powerhouse” for the South West region, with Dunwear House – the latest retrofit project – being eagerly discussed.
Homes England gave a presentation on the need to bring properties into the 21st century rather than building new homes and then having to retrofit them five years down the line.
Energy companies shared disappointment that ECO 4 funding was being cut, but recognised the need to allow housing providers, like Homes in Somerset, a bigger fund to call upon to improve an outdated and poor performing stock.
Rik and James had the opportunity to feed into a Q&A session at the event, where they highlighted where they felt the Sustainable Housing Fund lacked focus. They asked why the Government funding streams had such short timeframes, and why cap at reaching Energy Performance Certification C, when we could set the bar even higher.
Rik said: “It was an informative and well represented committee meeting, with all areas of retrofit represented. HiS was made to feel most welcome and we look forward to maintaining the great new partnerships for information sharing that we created on the day.”
The event provided opportunities to discuss positive change, and further showcased the team’s drive for better standards in housing and sustainability.
