Collaboration and innovation driving a sustainable future
By Gavin Cansfield, Chief Executive of settle
Housing associations up and down the country are facing an immense challenge. With houses in England producing more carbon emissions each year than cars, the pressure is on to decarbonise the homes we own and the ways we work. At settle, we want to be bold in our response to the climate emergency, but we must also be realistic about the scale of the work that lies ahead. When it comes to taking meaningful steps to reduce our impact on the planet, we recognise that to be truly pioneering, we can’t do it alone. Working in partnership – with other housing providers, with sustainability experts and, crucially, with residents – is how we will build a more sustainable future.
Launching Greener Herts with Watford Housing and B3 Living has been a significant step towards realising this important goal. The partnership gives us the ability to share resources, tasks, and know-how, as well as a dedicated sustainability lead, John Swinney, who works across all three organisations. Together we own 20,000 homes in Hertfordshire and its neighbouring counties. When the seemingly small impact of a green initiative in one home is multiplied by 20,000, the difference we can make by coordinating our efforts quickly becomes clear. On top of this, the momentum generated by doing something collaborative and innovative means progress is being made rapidly. Within a matter of months, the power that lies in working together can be felt keenly, from greater influence in the procurement process to a stronger application for wave 2 of the government’s social housing decarbonisation fund.
The Greener Herts partnership also gives us better foundations from which to reach out and work with experts in sustainability. For our first joint initiative, we teamed up with Warm Front, the energy-saving specialists, who have been using thermal imaging technology to survey all 20,000 of our homes in order to identify where investment in insulation is most needed. Working with Warm Front also gives us access to ECO (Energy Company Obligation) funding to help pay for these energy efficiency improvements.
To ensure that our sustainability strategy delivers real benefits to the communities in which we work, we know that residents must be at the heart of the partnership. We’re excited for our sustainability panel, made up of customers from all three organisations, to meet in the coming weeks. This group will help shape the sustainability agenda and make sure that priorities are guided by what matters most to residents, from warmer homes to money saved on energy bills.
At settle, we know the value of collaboration. Working in partnership with the other members of Greener Herts and alongside residents means we can push the boundaries of what’s possible on our journey to net zero carbon, making the challenge ahead not only more manageable, but one to be embraced.