Registered social landlord Sanctuary Group is piloting green retrofits of homes for the young and the elderly that could cut its overall running costs by more than £50,000 a year.
The housing and care provider has introduced a range of energy efficiency measures at three care homes and three student halls of residence. The retrofits follow an audit by Sanctuary of the six sites which found fitting automatic taps and lighting in kitchens, bathrooms and corridors, and installing additional insulation, could cut CO2 emissions by 260 tonnes and save more than £50,000 annually. Sanctuary estimates the schemes will cost £284,000, which should give a payback period of about five and a half years. The group is now assessing what measures are feasible to install at the properties and will monitor actual savings over the coming years.
Ian McDermott, Sanctuary Group’s chief operating officer, said: ‘These measures not only make sense in terms of reducing our impact on the environment, they also make financial sense because of the money saved by using fuel more efficiently.’
The company plans to extend the energy saving measures to its other properties nationally through Sanctuary Green Technologies, a subsidiary set up to promote energy efficiency and help residents access affordable energy from renewable sources.
Project details
Halls of residence:
Don Gratton House: 244 student hall for University of the Arts London
Manna Ash House: 285 student hall for University of the Arts, London
Lilian Knowles House (pictured): grade 2 listed hall for 366 students at the London School of Economics (LSE)
Estimated annual cost saving: £35,060
Estimated annual CO2 emissions reduction: 165.4 tonnes
Initial investment: £186,830
Care homes:
The Rosary: 103 bedroom home in Bridgewater, Somerset
Beach Lawns: 90 bedroom home in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
Hawthorn Green: 90 bedroom home in Stepney Green, London
Estimated annual cost saving: £15,540
Estimated annual CO2 emissions reduction: 94.7 tonnes
Initial investment: £97,190
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