Incommunities – SHDF Wave 2.1

Multi-Measure Retrofit Project, Shipley 

Bradford, West Yorkshire 

Project Value: £7.7m

Introduction

By the time this scheme was planned in 2023, SBS had already developed an excellent working relationship with the social housing provider Incommunities. This was partly built on the successful delivery of an energy efficiency retrofit scheme featuring over 100 occupied properties in the Wyke district of South Bradford. The project had drawn on funding from Wave 1 of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.

For this successor programme, the client wished to improve the EPC ratings of over 300 homes in various locations across Bradford. They would include conventional flats, bungalows and 2-storey houses – a mixture of semi-detached and terraced. Some of these were of hard-to-treat, non-traditional archetype: Airey and Crosswall.

In accordance with the PAS standards, the chosen measures would be determined on the basis of individual property assessments. Also, in line with the best practice, the scheme would adopt a whole-house, fabric-first approach. Ultimately, the aim would be to raise the properties’ EPC ratings to a minimum of band C.

The Project

We won the first phase of works on the basis of a competitive tender but we were awarded the second phase directly, through the EN Procure Framework.

The bulk of the project focused upon 239 occupied properties, most of which were flats. Here, following the necessary retrofit assessments, we installed high-retention storage heaters to 215 properties, and we equipped 20 homes with air source heat pumps. All were fitted with new energy-efficiency windows. Other measures, where required, included loft insulation (new or top-up), immersion heaters, ventilation upgrades and ceiling insulation.

45 of the homes were built to an Airey design, which features concrete columns and precast concrete infill panels. The design is known to be inefficient in terms of heat retention and it is prone to structural flaws including cracking and corrosion of the steel reinforcement. Property-by-property surveys determined the necessary remedial works, which included re-building, structural repairs and asbestos removal. Once these preparatory stages were complete, we installed new energy efficiency measures including a mineral fibre external wall insulation system, replacement external windows and doors, loft insulation, low energy lighting and ventilation upgrades.

Other related works included the installation of new spandrel panels and the construction of new porches.

Results

All works have been SHDF Wave 2-funded and delivered to PAS2030:2019 standards, with the scheme completing in December 2025 and all properties achieving an improved EPC rating of C or above.