Retrofit in real life: delivering home energy, efficiency and community impact in North East Derbyshire

Retrofit in real life: delivering home energy, efficiency and community impact in North East Derbyshire

Retrofit works best when it is rooted in people and place. When delivery teams understand the housing stock, the community and the people living in the homes they are improving, the results go beyond energy savings. They translate into genuine, lasting change for residents and neighbourhoods alike.

 

The long-standing partnership we have with Rykneld Homes and North East Derbyshire District Council (NEDDC) clearly demonstrates what this looks like in practice.

A scheme built on scale, complexity and collaboration

Delivered between 2022 and March 2025 under Wave 2.1 of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF), alongside funding from the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) and Local Area Delivery (LAD) scheme, the initial programme saw us improve 640 homes across North East Derbyshire. The housing stock presented real technical variety, encompassing REEMA, Aireys, Wates, Unity, No Fines and BISF properties, meaning careful consideration of the right measures for each archetype.

 

Primary works included external wall insulation, loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, and the installation of energy-efficient doors and windows. As the scheme progressed, its scope expanded to include solar PV panels and air-source heat pumps, reflecting the fabric-first approach that underpins our delivery model.

 

All 640 homes were improved to an EPC C rating or above. At property level, the average energy saving of 6,994 kWh per year is roughly equivalent to half of what a typical UK home consumes in gas and electricity combined. Across the scheme, annual CO2 savings totalled just under 967 tonnes – the equivalent of taking around 660 cars off the road each year or removing one car entirely for every home improved.

Putting residents at the centre

From the outset, Rykneld Homes was clear that community interests had to remain central to everything we do, and our approach aligned directly with that commitment.

 

Customer liaison officers were recruited locally, people who have a genuine understanding of the area and its communities. They managed the customer journey from the earliest stages, working to understand individual needs, identify potential vulnerabilities, explain the planned works and keep disruption to a minimum throughout delivery.

 

The impact was felt by an estimated 1,600 residents, who reported improvements to their health, warmth, comfort and overall living standards. The results were best captured in their own words:

 

“The work has made a huge difference to how the house looks and feels. The house is warmer; we’re using less energy and the fact that I’m one of so many customers that have benefitted is brilliant.”

A local economic legacy

The scheme’s impact extended well beyond individual homes. A deliberate focus on local supply chain expenditure injected an estimated £5.4 million into the North East Derbyshire economy. We appointed local suppliers to deliver associated works including re-roofing, glazing, concrete repairs, scaffolding and waste management.

 

The programme directly supported 12 full-time and part-time roles with us at SBS and a further 60 within our immediate supply chain. Around 80% of operative and site management roles were filled by people living within 15 miles of the schemes. Four new apprenticeship and trainee roles were created, and vocational or accredited training was delivered to a further 30 people.

 

Community-focused initiatives also ran alongside the construction work itself as well. From training and employment projects, charity donations, and a voluntary programme distributing warm clothes to those in need.

 

Niall Clark, managing director of Rykneld Homes, described the collaboration with our team: “We’ve been working with SBS for a number of years now and what they bring is capacity and skills – helping us both to prepare a bid and with actually getting on site early and then being able to deliver. We’ve got confidence in their quality, and the two teams work really well together.”

 

Helen Brown, head of regeneration at Rykneld Homes, added: “We’ve all got joint goals, and we all know what part we have to play. We have regular meetings, we do joint customer engagement, and we certainly have a collaborative approach. We’re improving the lives of our customers, but we’re also improving the street scene of the communities we’re working in.”

Building on what works: Wave 3 and beyond

The strength of the partnership and the quality of delivery on the SHDF Wave 2.1 programme led directly to two further major appointments, and we’re now on site delivering the next phase of retrofit improvement across North East Derbyshire.

 

A £10.4 million programme for Rykneld Homes, funded through Wave 3 of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, and a £5.1 million programme for NEDDC under the Warm Homes: Local Grant are well underway. Together, they will deliver retrofit improvements to around 700 homes – approximately 400 social homes for Rykneld Homes and over 300 privately owned and rented homes for NEDDC – with both contracts directly awarded under the Efficiency East Midlands Property Improvements and Decarbonisation Works Framework.

 

By taking a mixed-tenure, area-based approach, the team aim to extend the benefits of fabric-first retrofit such as lower bills, reduced carbon emissions and improved health and comfort, to as many residents as possible.

 

Daniel Owens, regional director at SBS, said, “Being appointed to deliver this scale of retrofit in North East Derbyshire is especially rewarding given our long-standing relationship with Rykneld Homes and the local council. We understand the local housing stock and community and have built foundations that will ensure trustworthy and efficient delivery from day one.

 

“These programmes enable us to continue making a real difference to people’s homes, health and energy bills, while contributing to local net zero goals and creating skilled jobs in the region. It is a fantastic opportunity to build on everything we have achieved here over the past decade.”

 

Both contracts reflect what is possible when retrofit is approached as a long-term commitment rather than a short-term intervention, and when delivery is led by teams with the technical expertise, local knowledge and community relationship to get it right. Retrofit is more than just upgraded properties; ultimately, it is upgrading the lives of those who live in them every single day.