Around 200 homes across Oldham have been given major green makeovers to slash bills and make them more energy-efficient as part of a trailblazing multi-million-pound retrofit programme to transform 3,800 properties.
The first wave of the forward-thinking First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO) scheme has benefitted homes in Royton, Failsworth, Chadderton, Shaw and Oldham with a raft of eco improvements to make them warmer, cheaper to heat, more environmentally friendly, meet Net Zero targets and reduce household bills by up to 30%.
FCHO predicts households could see a 30% reduction on their energy bills and save a combined 225 tonnes of carbon per year going forward — the equivalent of planting 9,000 trees a year to offset emissions.
First Choice Homes Oldham, responsible for more than 11,300 homes, will be contributing £3.4m into the scheme on top of the £2.8m it received through both Wave 1 and Wave 2 of the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF). This makes it the third largest SHDF programme across Greater Manchester.
Home energy performance surveys to a further 700 homes across the borough are currently underway, these will determine the eligibility for homes for funding made available in the future. Funding in the future may include loft insulation, triple-glazed windows and doors, solar panels and low energy lighting.
The SHDF works are part of wider efforts by Greater Manchester Combined Authority and their registered provider partners to improve the energy efficiency of social homes across the city region.
The first wave of makeovers, delivered by contractor Connolly throughout 2023, means they all now have a minimum C band energy performance certificate (EPC) — a standard the Government is encouraging landlords to work towards where possible.
Delighted residents include Mary Clancy, age 60, an FCHO customer for 36 years, who says since having solar panels installed at her semi-detached home in Chadderton as part of the project her energy bills reduced with her electricity costs halved.
Mary said: “It’s been a lot better energy wise. I get most of my things done through the day and it’s halved what I spent on electricity.
“It’s good for the environment too and I’m glad I had it done because it’s saving a lot of money.”
Measures were carefully tailored to the needs of each home involved in the project, to make the biggest impact on energy consumption.
The scheme of green upgrades will go towards achieving the sustainability targets FCHO set in its Big Plan and Sustainability Strategy.
The homes are the first of 3,800 existing FCHO properties to undergo retrofit work between 2023 and 2028 to make them more energy-efficient and help the housing association achieve its ambitious net zero targets.
Steve Mather, FCHO Executive Director of Homes, commented: “Working towards net zero generates a range of opportunities for customers and the communities we serve by lowering energy bills and reducing fuel poverty within our neighbourhoods.
“We’ll see more jobs created, the opportunity for local people to gain new skills and for local contractors to deliver our investment programme. It’ll be great for the economy, great for FCHO and great for our customers as part of our commitment to upgrade 3,800 homes.”
Cllr Abdul Jabbar, Oldham Council Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Resources, said: “It’s great news that Oldham residents will directly benefit from these improvements provided by First Choice Homes Oldham. The changes will not only be better for their pockets, but also keep them warmer during the winter months.
“We’re working hard to be the greenest borough in Greater Manchester and we’re making great progress, but we recognise this has to be a collective effort.
“These improvements complement our Green New Deal Strategy — our plan to make council buildings and street lighting carbon neutral by 2025, and for the borough to be carbon neutral by 2030.”
Cllr Tom Ross, GMCA Lead for the Green City Region, added: “Ongoing work to reduce the energy used in homes across Greater Manchester is playing a vital role in reducing both carbon emissions and energy bills, helping make our city-region a greener and fairer place for all. It’s fantastic to see how tenants are already benefitting from the many improvements being made to their homes, all whilst supporting the growth of the retrofit employment sector and contributing to Greater Manchester’s long-term environmental vision — to be carbon neutral by 2038.”
Header image: Credit FCHO
