We've been ranked 6th and retain prestigious SHIFT Gold accreditation
We have once again achieved SHIFT Gold accreditation, recognising our continued work in sustainability and environmental performance across our homes and services.
The independent SHIFT (Sustainable Homes Index For Tomorrow) assessment awarded us a score of 60.93%, retaining Gold status and placing the organisation sixth out of the 40 most recent SHIFT assessments across the social housing sector.
SHIFT is an environmental benchmarking and reporting standard, measuring performance across areas including carbon emissions, energy efficiency, sustainable operations, resident engagement and climate resilience.
The latest assessment highlighted a number of positive environmental achievements over the past year, including a reduction in business mileage emissions, continued improvements to the energy efficiency of Ongo homes and reduced emissions from heat networks.
One of the key contributors to the reduction in emissions has been the introduction of our neighbourhoods model, alongside its ongoing agile approach to working, helping reduce both fleet and personal business travel.
Meanwhile, we have continued our focus on improving the energy efficiency of our homes, with 90.84% of properties now achieving an EPC rating of C or above. The report notes that improving the energy performance of homes is one of the most effective ways of reducing carbon emissions, as housing stock remains our largest source of environmental impact.
The assessment also recognised improvements in heat network performance, with lower emissions contributing to a reduction in gas usage across our buildings.
Andrea Morley, Sustainability and Engagement Manager, said: “Retaining this accreditation is a fantastic achievement and reflects the work of many colleagues helping to reduce our environmental impact.
“Over the last year, we’ve made progress in reducing emissions and improving the energy efficiency of our homes, with every EPC improvement delivered through planned works, void upgrades and responsive repairs helping to lower our overall carbon footprint.”
“Our homes remain our biggest source of carbon emissions, so improving the performance and making it a more comfortable place for tenants is a major priority.
“I’d like to give special thanks to everyone involved in achieving this and the work they do every day to make improvements.”
Retaining Gold accreditation is part of our commitment to achieving our environmental ambitions while helping customers benefit from warmer, more energy-efficient homes and supporting the transition to a lower-carbon future.