York and North Yorkshire Housing Partnership: Our drive to net zero

Decarbonisation is one of the biggest issues facing our generation. The targets for all homes to be a minimum EPC C by 2030 and zero-carbon by 2050 pose a challenge, but also an opportunity for our member organisations to work together: Our ’Drive to Net Zero’ workstream will be an important vehicle to do this.

All 23 partner organisations are firmly committed to delivering both energy efficient new homes which don’t rely on fossil fuels, and to adapting (retrofitting) our existing homes so that they are energy efficient and affordable to run for customers.

We have a number of objectives but the main strand of this workstream is about delivering a retrofit programme at scale. So that where there are opportunities to bid for grant funding to make our homes more sustainable, our providers can work together to maximise the money available and ensure that our customers across our region benefit. Rather than individual landlords all running separate programmes and procuring their own contracts, by working as a collective we can all benefit from economies of scale and shared learning. These programmes require a skilled workforce to deliver our ambitions, so we’ll work closely with the boosting jobs and the local economy workstream.  

Together our partners are currently collecting and sharing data about our respective stock which will be plotted on a GIS map to understand where we all have homes that don’t currently meet the EPC C target. We will then use this data to determine priorities on a hyperlocal level and help determine procurement decisions.

In many ways it is social landlords leading the way in implementing retrofitting projects in our region, ahead of the private rental sector. Through the Drive to Net Zero workstream, we will consider opportunities for innovation, looking at new technologies and evidence-based solutions and it will be exciting seeing our plans come to fruition over the next few years. Ultimately, we hope these works will make a real difference to the customers living in our homes who will hopefully see a tangible reduction in their energy bills. While on a macro level, by delivering homes powered by low-carbon solutions we are playing our part in the transition towards a green and sustainable future.

Joanna Chambers, Director of Assets & Growth at 54North Homes

'Net Zero' workstream lead for York & North Yorkshire Housing Partnership