Monmouthshire Housing Association (MHA) has completed its first energy saving retrofit project at Cwrt Severn, creating warmer and cheaper homes for its residents.
The 31 one and two-bedroom apartments for older persons in Caldicot has undergone a significant upgrade, including installation of solar panels, new windows, power assisted front and rear doors, fire doors, ramped access to rear fire escapes and external wall insulation, meaning they are more sustainable and cheaper to run for its residents.
The £1.4 million renovation reduces their average carbon footprint by 82%. The homes had been rated as EPC C, but now have an average EPC A rating, making them among MHA’s most energy efficient homes.
Andrew Knill, MHA’s Head of Assets said:
“We’ve undertaken a whole raft of improvements to drive decarbonisation and improve the living environment for our residents.
With the onset of winter and impending cuts to winter fuel payments, the great news is that the residents will benefit from reduced fuel bills and have warmer more comfortable homes.
A big thank you to Welsh Government for the funding, to the many partners involved and especially the residents, who have been patient and supportive and are now reaping the benefits of the improvements we have made”.
MHA residents are already feeling the benefit, Alan said:
“I have lived her for almost six years and can say it is a lot better than how it looked previously – it looks fantastic. The biggest benefit to all residents is saving money on our heating and electricity with the solar panels. In fact this month I noticed that the money I have put on has been lasting a fair bit longer.”
To mark the completion of the works, an afternoon tea was held at Cwrt Severn. Residents welcomed representatives from MHA, Monmouthshire County Council, Welsh Government and it’s many partners, instrumental in delivering the project.
Local Councillor Jill Bond said:
“On behalf of residents I want to say how happy they are with the work that has been done, how the building looks and how much they will save on their utilities because of the wonderful environmental improvements. Thank you to MHA and to Welsh Government for the funding – absolutely brilliant.”
MHA’s Director of Property Services Becky Oliver spoke about the next retrofit project on MHA’s horizon:
“The quality of improvements delivered at Cwrt Severn is both testamount to the hard work by our Assets Team and our many construction partners on the project – so a huge thank you to both.
“We are proud to be helping deliver the Welsh Government’s Optimised Retrofit programme, which will help future-proof our housing stock and ensure our compliance with the new Welsh Housing Quality Standard”.
“Our focus now turns to our next retrofit projects underway at Newland Way, Wyesham and St Mary’s Place Portskewett.
The improvements at Cwrt Severn were delivered by principal Contractor Everwarm and a range of partners. The wireless monitoring services designed to maximise building efficiency were installed by Safehouse Technologies.
The project was funded by more than £600,000 of Optimised Retrofit funding from Welsh Government, and over £800,000 investment by MHA.
