Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund fast-tracks B3Living’s SHIFT Gold award
SHIFT 2023 Gold logo
Hertfordshire-based social landlord, B3Living, has received a SHIFT Gold accreditation for its commitment to providing sustainable homes and reducing their carbon footprint throughout its operations.
The accreditation presented by SHIFT (Sustainable Homes Index for Tomorrow) provides an independent environmental assessment for the housing sector and supports landlords to determine a roadmap towards net zero.
As part of the Greener Herts consortium, B3Living received £5.9 million from the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to improve the energy performance of 263 homes in Hertfordshire.
The housing association will prioritise wall insulation to avoid heat loss and start rolling out newer, alternative sources of heating such as air source and photovoltaics with smart batteries.
Through a fabric first approach, they will contribute to enabling customers to reduce their energy bills and the carbon footprint of their homes.
Out of assessed housing associations in the SHIFT report, B3Living ranked in the top three for new home sustainability and EPC C+.
With 100% of homes at low risk of overheating and sufficient ventilation, B3Living properties are less likely to develop damp and mould. Moreover, 89% of homes are at low risk of flooding, making them climate resilient.
B3Living pride themselves on not only providing affordable homes for those priced out of the market, but also offering specialist support to make their homes safe and comfortable in the long term. According to the latest tenant survey, customers have reported an 85% rate of satisfaction with B3Living’s overall service.
“We are incredibly proud to have achieved SHIFT Gold this year.
“This award is wonderful recognition of the levels of investment we have made as a medium-sized organisation to ensure that we provide all our customers with high quality, energy efficient homes they can afford.
“Funding from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and our innovative work with the Greener Herts consortium has accelerated our ability to reduce fuel poverty and improve our customers’ financial resilience in years to come.
“Sustainability will continue to be a key corporate priority for us as we work towards net zero by 2050.”