Almost 700 homes across the borough were upgraded as part of a national scheme to “retrofit” socially rented properties. The retrofitting project in Lambeth, part of a £6.9 million partnership with Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing, started in 2021 and was delivered with funding from the Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNEZ). The funding is part of the government department’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF), aiming to make energy efficiency improvements to homes across the UK.
Councillor Danny Adilypour, Deputy Leader of Lambeth Council and Cabinet Member for Housing, Investment and New Homes welcomed news of the retrofitting project’s completion:
“Lambeth was the first London borough to declare a climate emergency in 2019 and we are already progressing efforts to make homes more energy efficient, retrofit homes in the borough, and utilise renewable energy.”
The council has carried out nearly 17,000 detailed condition surveys on its estates and buildings. That data is being used to inform a new investment plan due to be evaluated by the council’s Cabinet within the coming months. This plan will set out how the council intends to manage its housing stock over the next five years while operating within strict budgetary constraints.
Cllr Adilypour added: “Our housing stock is relatively old, and much of it suffers as a result of poor quality building in the 1960s and 1970s.
“The condition surveys we’ve done help identify which homes are in most need of investment and which are suitable to retrofit and insulate to enable us to reach our carbon reduction aspirations.
“Lambeth Council aims to contribute to the delivery of our targets to be Net Zero compatible by 2030, where that is practical and affordable. But the council’s severe financial challenges mean we can’t always do as much as we would wish.”
As well as replacement of doors and windows to prevent loss of heat and energy through draughts and reduce the risk of damp and mould, 550 homes also had solar panels installed.
One resident benefiting from the project is David Francis, (pictured below), who lives on the Woodvale Estate in West Norwood, Tulse Hill. He was keen to get involved in the green initiative and have solar panels fitted to his roof but had concerns about potential wiring problems.
A contractor visited Mr Francis at his home and answered all of his questions, reassuring him that all cables across his ceilings would be hidden. Mr Francis also learned that the large battery which stores the electricity generated from the sun through the solar panels for use in the evening could be stored out of sight in the loft.
Mr Francis said:
“The solar panels are excellent quality. Monocrystalline rather than polycrystalline and the back-up batteries store the excess energy – and it’s green energy which is the best thing of all.”
After the installation, Mr Francis decided to acquire the necessary certification to enable him to sell excess energy generated by the panels back to the national grid and has been helping his neighbours do the same. Between June and August 2024, he earned £20 from selling back excess electricity through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) scheme.
Still more Lambeth residents are set to benefit from further retrofitting, with Wave 2 of the SHDF project now under way. This next phase of the programme will be focussed on the Blenheim Gardens Estate and Tivoli Road. Local residents keen to find out more can contact Ernesta.Sauliunaite@wates.co.uk
