Greener future - our retrofit programme

At SNG we are committed to a greener future, and ensuring our customers live in warm, comfortable and affordable homes. We have an ambitious goal to make all SNG homes carbon neutral by 2050 and our retrofit programme is key in achieving this. 

With additional funding from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, we have one of the largest retrofit programmes in the country. Over the next few years, we plan to update 1,000s of our existing homes - making improvements such as insulation and energy-efficient heating, rather than only adding these features during construction of new homes. 

Our retrofit programme not only reduces carbon emissions, it also brings major benefits to customers by creating warmer and more comfortable homes, that cost less to run – with energy bills potentially falling by as much as half. 

What is retrofitting?

Retrofitting is improving existing, older homes with new, green technologies or features to make them warmer, more energy efficient and more affordable to run. This can include solar panels, air source heat pumps, loft and cavity wall insulation, replacing windows and doors and upgrading ventilation. 

How do we select homes for our retrofit programme?

We are reviewing all SNG’s 85,000 homes to identify which properties may benefit from our retrofit programme – which, as you can imagine, will take some time.  

We make our initial assessment based on factors including the type of home, its age, the location, current energy efficiency performance, and how different measures might improve carbon emissions, the affordability, and the wellbeing of the customers who live there.  

If your home is identified as one that may benefit from improvements, we will contact you by letter or email to explain the next steps.  

What might retrofitting your home involve?  

Improvements we could make include: 

• adding loft or cavity wall insulation to keep heat inside your home 
• installing new, energy-efficient doors and windows 
• fitting  more efficient heating systems, like air source heat pumps 
• adding solar panels and batteries to generate and store renewable energy 
• upgrading ventilation to improve air flow. 

These changes can make your home cheaper to heat, help reduce your energy bills, and lower carbon emissions - benefiting both you and the planet.  

In some cases, if homes are outdated, they may need replacing, or we might redevelop an entire area. 

If your home is selected for retrofitting 

Once your home has been identified as one that may benefit from improvements, you’ll receive a letter to explain the next steps – which involves a retrofit assessment visit to your home.  

This is where our expert partners conduct tests so we can assess if your home fits the criteria for upgrades - and to plan the right mix of improvements if it does. Customers told us in our research that this personalised approach is very important. 

If your home is selected for retrofitting after the retrofit assessment visit, you’ll receive a personalised list of measures detailing the improvement works to your home. 

Our Resident Liaison Officers will then guide you through the entire process. They’ll explain what’s happening, how the changes will benefit you, what the work will involve, and how to use any new technology (like smart heating systems), to help save on bills. We estimate that some households could cut their energy costs by as much as half. 

After the upgrades, we’ll monitor your home’s performance to check its energy efficiency and make sure everything is working well. This includes looking at factors like air quality and ventilation, to ensure your home is as comfortable and healthy as possible.