Open day held at Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund demo home

Customers and stakeholders took the opportunity to view our Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) demo home in Rushden.

The property, which has had external wall insulation, new doors and windows and improved heating installed, is one of nearly 600 homes having work done to improve the energy efficiency rating.

We welcomed nearly 20 people to the property to have a look around, ask questions of the project team and also see work being done on neighbouring homes.

Having secured more than £6 million of government funding as part of the SHDF project, we’re working closely with our contractor Morgan Sindall Property Services to enhance the energy efficiency of 581 homes across our portfolio.

Marcus Keys, Executive Director of Growth, Development and Assets, said: “It was wonderful to be able to welcome customers and stakeholders to the demo home in Rushden and speak to them about the work we’re doing to improve the energy efficiency of our stock.

“The difference in this property from before work was done to now is incredible and will really have a positive impact for the next customers who live here.

“To be able to carry out similar work on nearly 600 homes across our region is brilliant and I’d like to thank our colleagues at Morgan Sindall Property Services for their hard work on this project.

“This is a perfect example of partnership working for the benefit of our customers and I hope everyone living in one of our homes which is part of the SHDF project will agree that the work being done will have a positive impact on their lives.

“We’re now looking towards submitting a bid for further funding from the government to extend the scope of the project and improve the energy efficiency of even more of our homes.”

Jennifer Anderson, Chair of the Customer Forum, was one of the customers who attended the event.

She said: “The visit provided an informative and valuable insight into the technical aspects of the building upgrades, including the installation of the insulation.

“It offered a clear look at how these improvements will enhance energy efficiency, supporting our commitment to sustainability.

“As Chair of the Customer Forum, I had the opportunity to engage with key stakeholders and connect with customers who’ll directly benefit from this work. Overall, it was an insightful day that underscored the importance of technical precision and customer engagement in achieving our decarbonisation goals.”

Mustafa Mustafa, Head of Decarbonisation at Morgan Sindall Property Services, added: “We’re delighted to be supporting Longhurst Group with their ambition of decarbonising their homes, making their net zero carbon ambitions a reality, whilst also improving the homes of hundreds of residents.

“The Rushden show home is an important part of this and meeting with residents last week, we were able to answer questions and demonstrate the benefits of the retrofit works such as improving their quality of living and saving money in the long term.”