Housing group in triple award shortlisting for sustainability
Incommunities has been shortlisted for three prestigious national sustainability awards.
The SHIFT Awards represent the leading environmental prizes for housing providers recognising outstanding sustainability projects and performance.
The group has been shortlisted in three categories – Sustainability Team of the Year, New Build of the Year and Retrofit of the Year.
In 2017/18 Incommunities’ Sustainability Team worked with local partners and with in-house services to deliver a string of environment successes including:-
· helping 2,100 residents make home energy savings and improve their recyclying
· saving over £60,000 on the group’s electricity and gas bills
· securing £282,000 in external match funding for home cavity wall insulation and gas connection schemes, benefiting over 400 households
· delivering sustainability training to staff and graduates working in housing.
The team also worked with Incommunities’ development team, Homes England and local contractors to help deliver 34 new energy efficient affordable homes and, in the process, regenerated the site of a former unpopular sheltered housing in the suburbs of Bradford city centre. Each home includes electric car charging points.
The third shortlisted project is an insulation scheme covering nine low energy performing blocks (98 homes) in Shipley with 99% of the installation costs covered by external funding.
The winners will be announced at the SHIFT Awards on Thursday, 8th November in London.
Alexis Durrant, Incommunities Sustainability Manager, said: "We are committed to making our assets and operations more sustainable and this trio of category shortlisting shows the group as a whole is improving its performance on many fronts.
"Receiving recognition from the SHIFT Awards shows we are delivering benefits for our customers including those in fuel poverty, our staff and as a business."
Angela Perry, Incommunities’ Assistant Chief Executive, Asset Management said: "This is excellent news. Our Sustainability Team has a key role in helping the business to deliver high levels of energy efficient performance working with in-house teams and external agencies.
"The team and organisation is committed to improving our environmental footprint, identify savings and bring benefits for our customers.
"Fingers crossed the organisation can celebrate deserved award success in a few weeks’ time!"
SHIFT is the sustainability standard for the housing sector and is provided by Sustainable Homes. It is an independent assessment and accreditation scheme that demonstrates organisations are delivering against challenging environmental targets.