Published: 27 September 2024

From: Planning and development

Crawley Borough Council is pleased to announce its 1,000th council home has been retrofitted by Mears Group as part of a £4 million Towns Fund project to improve energy efficiency in its housing stock through a ‘fabric first’ approach and save around 900 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The council is working with Mears Group (one of the UK’s leading housing solution providers) and Wates (one of the largest family-owned development, building and property maintenance companies in the UK) to complete the retrofit of more than 1,500 council-owned flats with cavity wall insulation.

Better wall insulation means less energy is needed to heat the building, yielding a greater level of energy efficiency. It is also an effective way of cutting carbon emissions by significantly reducing the wastage of energy caused by poor insulation. Warmer homes also help to reduce condensation that could lead to damp and mould.

It’s estimated that by the end of the programme in March 2026, a total of 1,511 flats will benefit from better insulation and lower bills, as well as save a total of 902 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Properties will save on average £160 per year through the cavity wall insulation programme.

We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone in our retrofit programme which is funded by the Ministry for Housing, Local Government and Communities from the Towns Fund.

Councillor Michael Jones

Leader

Crawley Borough Council

The installation of cavity wall insulation means properties are more energy efficient which is key to lowering carbon emissions in homes. This is an important step towards achieving our Net Zero ambition for Crawley.

Councillor Atif Nawaz

Cabinet member for Planning and Economic Development

Crawley Borough Council

Sadly, around 40 per cent of tenants are likely to experience fuel poverty. With the cost of energy continuing to rise, our work to improve the efficiency of our council homes for tenants is more important than ever.

Councillor Ian Irvine

Cabinet member for Housing

Crawley Borough Council

Mears Group is delighted to be able to mark this significant milestone in Crawley. Over the last two years, this project has seen a successful collaborative approach between the council, Mears Group and our contractors to insulate hundreds of homes. We look forward to continuing to support Crawley Borough Council to achieve its net zero ambitions and deliver warmer homes for the borough’s residents.

Karen Beckley

Housing Maintenance Managing Director

Mears Group

tags: insulation, net zero