Multi-million pound energy efficiency boost announced for North East social housing residents

Close to 650 social housing properties across the North East will benefit from an £8.3m capital injection to significantly improve energy efficiency in people’s homes, tackle fuel poverty and help reduce carbon emissions.

Procurement and collaboration experts, Prosper, has facilitated a new consortium of five North East housing providers comprising North Star Housing, Tyne Housing, Livin Housing, Durham Aged Mineworkers’ Homes and Keelman Homes, to deliver the works over the next three years. 

Collectively, all five landlord partners will invest over £5.5m with a further £2.8m being matched-funded through the Government’s Warm Homes Social Housing Fund (Wave 3). 

The works will be delivered through Prosper’s 2025 Decarbonisation and Investment Works Framework which provides landlords with an innovative and compliant ‘one-stop-shop’ solution. Following a thorough procurement process, Consett-based, Zenith Mechanical Services, has been appointed to install the decarbonisation measures for all landlord partners.

The combined £8.3m spend will be split proportionately amongst each of the five housing associations depending on the number of homes being improved and the requirements needed. This will include eligible residential properties in Newcastle, Gateshead, North and South Tyneside, County Durham, Tees Valley and Wear Valley.

Energy efficiency measures will include new cavity wall, loft and ceiling insulation, solar panels, internal heating controls, replacement glazing units, air source heat pumps and low carbon lighting amongst other measures depending on a property’s age and individual requirements. The retrofit programme is expected to commence imminently and be completed with minimal disruption to residents and adjacent buildings.

Rod Brasington, Chief Executive of Prosper, explained: “This exciting new collaborative partnership has been founded after several conversations with our landlord partners to determine their objectives and how this could best be delivered to create true value and efficiency.

“Bringing the five landlords together and creating a robust partnership with Zenith Mechanical Services is fantastic news which will significantly improve the living experience of more than 650 residents right across the North East.”

North Star Housing, for example, has been awarded £930,000 (match-funded to approximately £1,863,000) to deliver improvements at 86 properties. This will also cover areas including Wear Valley, North Yorkshire, County Durham and Tyne and Wear. 

By coming together as a sector, efforts by individual housing providers will help achieve optimum energy efficiency standards across the North East’s total social housing stock, building on a collective commitment to reduce fuel poverty while guaranteeing residents live in warm homes.

The UK Government’s Warm Homes Social Housing Fund (Wave 3) is a £1.29bn scheme aimed at upgrading national housing stock that currently sits below an energy performance certificate (EPC) band C. 

Announced in the Autumn Budget 2024, the initiative aims to deliver warm, energy efficient homes, improve the comfort, health and wellbeing of social housing tenants, reduce carbon emissions, support green jobs and develop the retrofit sector, with grant funded projects to be delivered between 2025 and 2028. 

The works are expected to commence early 2026 and all residents will be contacted directly by their housing provider with more information.