Work With Us To Be Carbon Neutral

The climate change challenge is in competition with the COVID-19 pandemic, Strictly Come Dancing, and Squid Game to grab our attention in the news. However, you choose to access your news, online, tv or newspapers, it is a constant part of the national conversation.

Our staff are committed to playing our part in reducing our carbon emissions. We are currently devising our own plan for the next 30 years with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality, the investment required to increase energy efficiency of our homes is significant over that time period so a well-considered, detailed plan is critical.

This work is being completed with the Carbon Trust, who have been pioneering decarbonisation for more than 20 years for businesses, governments and organisations around the world. Lincs Rural will be one of their smallest clients but we can be confident that the outcome of work with them will produce the action plan to reduce the carbon emissions from our business activities to the lowest level possible.

The bedrock of a good plan is accurate data. We are currently in the process of assessing each home with the completion of an Energy Performance Certificate. It will be completed by Peter Herbert of Advantage Energy Assessors. It will highlight how much energy a home will use in a year, the quality and performance of the components such as windows and provide an overall rating from A-G. If you would like a copy of your homes’ EPC please get in touch.

The EPC’s will be followed by a property inspection in 2022 by an external surveyor. This is not to check if you have completed your housework but to assess the major components and condition, from roof to walls, windows etc. Every aspect of the home will be assessed and collated. The data will be held on our Capita Open Housing System and then modelled to inform the investment plan.

We are not waiting idly by for this data to arrive, we have started on a fabric first approach which involves maximising the performance of the components and materials that make up the building fabric itself. This has involved draft proofing, insulation top up, and the upgrade of PVCu windows and doors. Unfortunately, it has all been hampered and slowed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic restricting work and significantly slowing the supply chains, but this will improve in early 2022.

The plan to phase out natural gas over the next 15 years has been heavily covered in the news lately. Our focus has been on the future of electrically heated homes. A trial group of air source heat pumps (ASHP) and a trial group of Dimplex Quantum storage heaters have been installed. These are being monitored over the next 12 months and this will enable the Board of Management to decide on the types of heating system installed in the future.

The cost of electricity and gas is increasing significantly, we are aiming to try to reduce usage to help households, ensure homes are warm plus offer additional advice and support. The level of engagement is entirely dependent what the individual tenants would like.

The involvement and experience of our tenants is critical to the development of the 30 year plan. The Tenant Representatives group can feedback any information given to them, and they will be kept updated on the progress of the fabric first work. Any tenant that would like an email update to them directly can receive one just let me know via Andy@lrha.co.uk.