Social landlords belonging to a sustainability indexing scheme are making significant reductions in their environmental impacts, according to new data.
The properties of 54 housing associations that have signed up to Sustainable Homes’ Index For Tomorrow were 29 per cent more energy efficient last year than the average home across the nation, the organisation reported yesterday.
The amount of carbon saved compared to the national average works out as 1.4 tonnes per home, or around 1.14 million tonnes a year across all of Shift’s 800,000-home membership.
Shift, which benchmarks landlords’ sustainability based on a range of data types, said the average energy efficiency of members’ stock has increased by 6 per cent since 2008.
The work has included insulation, efficient boiler installation, increased use of solar power and building new homes to high sustainability standards.
Shift’s assessment also showed members were outperforming the national average by 6 per cent in terms of water efficiency.
They achieved this by installing water-saving devices such as aerated shower heads, dual-flush toilets, water meters and by building water-efficient new homes. This will reduce water usage by 3.7 million cubic metres each year.
Shift members are independently assessed by consultancy Sustainable Homes.
‘We have seen numerous examples where simply reporting the benchmarking data has spurred organisations to make significant environmental improvements,’ said Andrew Eagles, managing director of Sustainable Homes.