Creating warmer and healthier homes in North Tyneside

Homes all over North Tyneside are quite simply better places to live, thanks to our work in delivering energy efficiency upgrades with North Tyneside Council.

We’ve now improved almost 200 homes across the region which had low energy efficiency ratings, fitting solar panels, insulation and ventilation upgrades as part of North Tyneside Council’s goal to achieve net zero by 2030. Installing these upgrades is helping residents save energy and money, as well as leading to warmer and healthier homes.

As part of the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF), and with the support of our delivery partner Thrift Energy, we’re proud to have successfully installed 232 measures in total, across internal wall insulation, solar panels and ventilation upgrades, to improve the energy efficiency and overall comfort of these homes.

Installing internal wall insulation means residents will benefit from warmer homes and could even save up to £190 a year on their energy bills¹. And the financial savings continue for homes with solar panels installed, where residents could significantly reduce their energy bills by powering their homes with electricity generated from the sun.

Working hand-in-hand with residents

The residents were right at the heart of this project. Working closely with local people in North Tyneside, our Green Funding Solutions team ensured everyone understood how they would individually benefit from the energy efficiency upgrades, as well as identifying and resolving any concerns they had.

Darbi Bennett, Project Delivery Manager in our Green Funding Solutions team, said: “It’s the residents that make these projects so special - and they have truly made this particular project feel enjoyable and worthwhile. Throughout the project, we’ve held many in-person sessions to support local people in understanding the work we’re doing to improve their homes, explaining what would be involved and the key benefits, as well as discussing any concerns they may have had. We’ve built some really strong relationships with local people, and without them, these projects just wouldn’t be a success.”

And the residents share the positive sentiment, with one who had internal wall insulation installed saying:

“I would like to praise the customer service throughout the installation process, whenever I needed to query something, I was contacted back with a response as agreed. I had no issues throughout the three-day installation, aside from some mess which is to be expected. I’m looking forward to entering the colder months to see what difference it really makes to improving the heat retention in my home.”

This project wasn’t just about the energy efficiency measures. We also supported the wider community by volunteering and donating to Shiremoor Adventure Playground. This supported North Tyneside Council’s annual Holiday Activity Fund programme which aims to give local children the opportunity to take part in exciting activities over the holidays and provide healthy food all free of charge.

Nesting guests

But the project hasn’t been without challenges. Originally, we planned to install external wall insulation on a block of 60 flats. But during initial surveys, we found birds and bats nesting in the building as well as additional electrical and gas works required on the properties. Both added additional time pressures to the project which meant we wouldn’t have been able to complete in line with the agreed project timescales. We worked closely with North Tyneside Council and eventually came to the joint decision to proceed with internal wall installation instead.

An award winning scheme

And all the hard work paid off. We’re delighted that North Tyneside Council won the Regional Council or Local Authority Body of the Year award at the North East Energy Efficiency Awards 2024. The award recognises one exceptional council that has shown a true commitment to promoting energy efficiency within its region. And we’re so proud to have played a part in delivering on North Tyneside Council’s commitment to improving the community it serves.

Interested in finding out how our Green Funding Solutions team could help you? If you’re a housing provider or local authority, please visit our green funding solutions webpage. Or if you’re a residential customer, you can check whether you’re eligible for energy efficiency improvement grants by using our grants finder.