The Starley committee has been working with CCH since the turn of the year, which has culminated in a grant funding win! The Community Energy Fund unlocks the next steps of a Co-operative wide feasibility study.
The project looks to deliver community street level fabric retrofit upgrades and adoption of community-owned, alternative low carbon and renewable energy systems.
This is a long term management strategy that will identify measures that will help Starley Housing Co-operative develop its route map to Net Zero by 2050, helping 65 member of their co-operative households decarbonise their homes and save money on their energy bills.
The project looks to employ a whole house fabric first approach that is promoted by CCH’s Wayshaper Sustainable Homes toolkit which will inform community decision making and resident workshops.
The next stage of the project will explore and develop a plan, delivery model, and budget that is phased sensibly to align with the Co-operative’s maintenance cycles and voids in order to efficiently upgrade properties to maximise on performance and cost effectiveness.
The works will be funded through a combination of grant, capital maintenance budget, reserves, a potential loan stock, and phased development finance.
The Retrofit advisor team, led by James Neward, have carried out a review of the Co-operative’s full EPC and stock condition survey of the properties. This early stage Retrofit Advisor project planning consultancy support formed the basis of the grant application and the team helped build the application and submit it on behalf of the Co-operative.
CCH has developed a project brief and initial retrofit action plan, alongside a property profile database that records property information and prioritised retrofit measures. During this phase, the team spent a day in Coventry with the Starley Housing Co-operative team discussing their needs and reviewing some of the properties along Starley Road.
Doreen from Starley Co-op says:
“This is a very exciting time for us. I didn’t think it would be so easy. The CCH Retrofit team has done most of the work. All we did was give them a pipe dream and now it’s turning into reality. Our homes are Victorian terrace homes and are so cold in the winter. It will be a transformation to our members to find ways to reduce our heating bills!”
James Neward said:
“Working with the Starley team has been a breath of fresh air… they have committed to doing a deep review of their properties to ensure they’re in the best possible condition for members. Seeing the opportunity to dovetail environmental upgrades into their maintenance cycles is really savvy, and we’re really pleased to have been able to provide the support they need to plan for this retrofit work and access grant funding.
On a personal level, I’m really looking forward to working with the members and our Associates in resident workshops using our new Wayshaper toolkit. Putting the toolkit into action on a large scale is exciting!”
The project will make a start in September and aims to have concluded by Spring 2025. We’ll make sure we provide updates as the project progresses and will be keenly reporting back on the outcomes and learning from the Wayshaper workshops.
The government has confirmed that landlords will have to meet an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of Band C by 2030. Find out more about our Retrofit Service, potential funding, and options for improving your properties click here.
Watch our Introduction to the Wayshaper Sustainable Homes video here to find out more about the toolkit: