Housing Asset Management Strategy 2019 - 2024 - Report - Page 8
Environmental sustainability - continued
We have a very good track record of reducing reliance on carbon fuels to deliver heating for our tenants by use of renewable or low carbon
heating initiatives, and intend to continue such works in the future.
Solar Photovoltaic
Solar Thermal
Energy Performance
Our energy performance certificate (EPC) score has been
improving over several years bringing benefits to our
tenants with greater energy efficiency and helping to
combat fuel poverty. The graph below shows the average
EPC score has risen from 70.05 to 70.65 from over 3 years.
This is higher than the national average for council housing
of 65.00 (English Housing Survey 2014/15).
We have installed Solar
Photovoltaic
panels
to
our retired living schemes,
generating
electricity
for
communal
supplies
and
reducing costs for tenants.
These installations benefitted
from the Governments ‘feed in
tariff’ scheme which generates
additional income to the HRA
and supports funding for other
energy efficiency projects.
As a Council many of our properties
are in rural areas without access
to natural gas supplies. We have
been keen to assist our tenants by
providing more efficient, flexible
and affordable heating systems
and have installed over 250 air
source heating systems with solar
thermal panels. These installations
qualify for the Governements
renewable heat initiative payments
and East Suffolk are extremely
pleased to recognise we have the
highest number of applications for
RHI of any Council in England.
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Legislation will require a minimum EPC rating of ‘D’ (55-68)
in the private rented sector and we are mindful of the need
to consider in the strategy how we achieve this in our own
stock.
Average EPC Score
75
70
65
60
55
50
January 2015
January 2018
Social Housing
National Average
