SARH goes green with home improvements

A multi-million pound investment has helped to drastically reduce the carbon footprint of hundreds of homes in Stafford.

 Stafford and Rural Homes (SARH) recently completed its largest programme of environmental improvements to make 341 homes in Highfields more energy efficient.

  The £3.4 million Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) – carried out in partnership with British Gas – will also help SARH customers to reduce their fuel bills by as much as £560 a year.

 The CESP funding, £2million from British Gas and £1.4million from SARH, was used to invest in energy efficient improvements including: New energy efficient condensing boilers, conversion of some homes from electric heating to gas and additional loft insulation and external cladding.

  The improvements will reduce each home’s carbon emissions by as much as 14.5 tonnes a year.

 Karen Armitage, Chief Executive of Stafford and Rural Homes, said: “We are constantly working hard to reduce our impact on the environment by making our homes more energy efficient.

 “A modern and energy efficient housing stock is crucial in helping customers who are on low incomes to reduce the cost of their energy bills.”

 Since SARH was formed in 2006 it has improved the loft insulation to over 900 homes.

  Ian Yeomans, Director of Asset Management and Development for SARH, said: “SARH has made tremendous strides in its first five years to make its homes more energy efficient, but our work does not end here and we will continue our investment to make sure we meet the highest environmental standards possible.”