Salix Homes secures further £2.2m to improve heating at Salford tower blocks

Salix Homes has secured more than £2.2million in Government funding to improve heating systems at five of our tower blocks in Salford. 

We been awarded the funding through the latest round of the Government’s Heat Network Efficiency Scheme (HNES), which provides financial support to improve the performance and efficiency of existing communal heating systems. 

The funding will support improvements at Nine Acre Court in Ordsall, Floral Court in Broughton, and Black Friar Court, Newbank Tower and Riverbank Tower in Trinty, benefiting more than 500 residents. 

The planned work will include improvements to the communal heating systems throughout the buildings, including work to plant rooms and pipework, improved insulation, and the replacement of heat interface units and heat meters within customers’ homes. 

Together, these improvements will reduce energy waste, lower carbon emissions, and enhance the overall efficiency of the heating systems across the buildings, while also supporting efforts to tackle fuel poverty by helping to reduce energy bills and improve comfort in people’s homes. 

The latest award follows £1.2million in HNES funding secured by Salix Homes earlier this year to upgrade communal heating systems at Magnolia Court, Sycamore Court and Mulberry Court in Pendleton. 

Together, the two funding awards mean we have now secured around £3.5million towards major heating improvements at eight of our 10 tower blocks with communal gas heating. 

David Malsom, Sustainability Manager at Salix Homes, said: “Securing a further £2.2million is fantastic news for our customers and represents another significant step forward in our work to improve the energy efficiency of our homes across Salford. 

“This investment will enable us to modernise these older heating systems, making them more efficient and reliable, while reducing wasted energy and carbon emissions and helping to keep energy costs down for our customers. 

“Combined with the funding we secured earlier this year, we now have Government support to carry out major improvements at eight of our 10 tower blocks with communal gas heating, which is a significant boost to our wider investment plans.” 

The investment will also help bring the tower blocks in line with emerging industry standards, including the Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme (HNTAS), alongside wider policy direction set by the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) and the Future Homes Standard, which continue to raise expectations around energy performance and carbon reduction in housing. 

Martin McCluskey, Minister for Local Energy and Jobs, added: “Clean power and clean heat benefits communities across our country. Building the infrastructure to deliver it is reindustrialising the UK and rolling out cutting-edge energy technology so families can benefit from lower bills, good jobs and energy security.  

“And for those already using heat networks, we are upgrading inefficient systems to make sure people get the high-quality, low-cost, reliable heating they deserve.” 

Salix Homes also secured £25,000 through the latest HNES funding round to carry out an optimisation study at Canon Hussey Court in Islington. 

The study will take a detailed look at how the existing heating system is performing and identify where improvements could be made in the future, helping us develop plans and support future funding bids. 

 Alongside this retrofit investment, we are also delivering some of the most energy-efficient new homes in the region, with three Passivhaus developments in Salford. Willohaus was completed in July, Greenhaus, which was completed in 2024, and a third Passivhaus development, providing new older people’s housing in Broughton, is currently under construction. 

 Work on the tower block upgrades is expected to begin next year, and customers living in the blocks will be contacted ahead of work starting.