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"Energy efficiency upgrades reduced my costs to £2 a day"
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An energy efficiency project at two high-rise residential buildings in Salford supports residents with warmer homes and lower energy bills.
Salix Homes customer Shaun used to go to bed early to avoid the cost of heating his flat, as running his electric storage heaters was too expensive for him.
However, following an ambitious energy efficiency project driven by the Salford-based housing association, Shaun’s home is now kept warm with a ground source heat pump.
Now, he’s spending less than he was before – around £2 a day – and has a newfound confidence in the comfort and warmth of his home.
Shaun said: “It’s comfortable all the time.
“I didn’t really use a lot of the storage heaters because of the cost.
“Now I’ve got this new heating system, I’ve got hot water that gets heated every night and I’ve got six radiators on 24 hours a day – and it’s actually cheaper.”
Colleagues from Salix Finance were on site in Salford to meet with Shaun alongside stakeholders from Salix Homes and contractors Arcus and Casey who designed, planned and executed the work on site.
Shaun added: “I used to go to bed early because it was too cold in here, then when I’d get up in the morning it was absolutely freezing.
“Now, it’s not hard to get out of bed in the morning.
“My house is the same temperature now in the morning as when I’m going to bed.”
Salix Homes manages more than 8,000 properties in Salford and is striving to elevate low energy-performing properties to at least an energy performance certificate (EPC) band C by 2030, ensuring residents like Shaun are able to benefit from upgrades to their homes.
Progress against this target has been accelerated with funding from the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) Wave 2.1, supporting fabric and heating upgrades at Whitefriar and Greyfriar Court.
Salix Finance supports the administration of the funding for this scheme on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
During the visit, Salix Finance produced a short video with Salix Homes’ director of investment, development and sustainability Glenn Martin and sustainability manager David Malsom.
Watch to learn more about the project and why work like this is so important for Salix Homes tenants:
Delivering through a multi-member consortium led by Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Salix Homes is one of 18 local authorities and housing associations working together with funding awarded through the SHDF Wave 2 scheme.
Consortium delivery models aim to pool resources, enhance innovation, share learnings and provide access to larger contracts.
Salix Finance project support officer Matthew Jones, who has supported GMCA with its delivery through the scheme, said: “Salix Homes’ properties make up a significant proportion of the homes being delivered by the GMCA-led consortium through the scheme.
“It’s great to see the transformation taking shape as the scaffolding comes down and even more rewarding to hear from residents like Shaun about the difference these improvements are making to their homes and quality of life.”
GMCA programme and policy lead for retrofit Anees Mank said: “In leading the SHDF Wave 2.1 consortium, GMCA is working with local authorities and housing providers across the city-region to take a co-ordinated approach to delivery, share learning, and support partners in tackling some of the hardest-to-treat homes.
“We are particularly pleased to support Salix Homes in delivering improvements at Whitefriar and Greyfriar Court. Projects like this show why retrofit matters: they help create warmer, healthier, lower-cost homes, while also reducing carbon emissions. Hearing the difference these works have made to residents like Shaun brings home the real impact this investment can have.”
Delivering upgrades at both tower blocks required the organisation to navigate the new Building Safety Regulator (BSR) Gateway process, a three-stage approval system for higher risk buildings, ensuring fire safety and regulatory compliance before, during and post-construction.
Keep an eye on the Salix Finance website for a case study being published soon which will delve into the detail of project delivery, BSR and challenges overcome.
Salix Finance and Salix Homes with resident Shaun. Credit: Salix Finance
