Housing co-operatives celebrate £1.2 million boost in energy efficiency drive

Housing co-operatives across England are set to become more energy efficient after receiving a £1.2 million funding boost.  

The Confederation of Co-operative Housing (CCH) has been successful in its consortium bid, led by Lambeth Self Help Housing Association, for funding through government's Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. Funds will be used to upgrade more than 100 co-operative properties to an energy performance certificate rating of C or above - saving residents money and reducing carbon footprint.

CCH Retrofit Associate, James Neward, said: “The success of this pilot bid not only helps CCH support this pioneering group of London, South East, South West and Yorkshire co-operatives in upgrading their homes, but also helps build a national network of skilled retrofit partners and a way of working that can benefit the co-operative housing sector more widely."

CCH has worked with its consortium partners to develop an innovative, replicable structure that will reduce individual co-operative expenditure and speed up the installation of retrofit measures. Funding will be used in two ways:

• In partnership with co-operative residents, CCH will develop a net zero route map for each consortium member centred around a 25-year plan for stock upgrade
• A first wave of capital works will deliver a series of fabric-first upgrades and appropriate space-heating demand reduction.

Members of the co-operative housing consortium are: Lambeth Self Help Housing Association; Somewhere Housing Co-operative; Two Piers Housing Co-operative; Phoenix Co-operative Housing Society; Waverley (Eighth) Co-operative Housing Association; Clissold Housing Co-operative; and Tangram Housing Co-operative.