Veterans’ homes transformed using Fusion21’s Decarbonisation Framework

A housing organisation which provides affordable homes for veterans is giving hundreds of properties a green makeover with more than 1,000 improvements after accessing Fusion21’s Decarbonisation Framework.

Haig Housing Trust (HHT) has served the British veteran community for almost 100 years, and as ‘the leading housing provider for ex-service personnel in the UK’, the charity now owns more than 1,500 properties across 50 locations.

Our national Decarbonisation Framework is worth £750 million over four years and supports members in developing their net zero roadmaps, cutting carbon, and maximising cost savings.

Using Lot 1 - Whole-house Decarbonisation, HHT appointed Fusion21 supplier E:ON to carry out a host of green upgrades across hundreds of its homes to create warmer and more sustainable properties.

As part of a wider HHT project to improve 750 homes, the improvement work was awarded £2.5 million from the government-funded Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (now replaced with the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund), to deliver 1,166 energy-saving measures - ranging from enhanced insulation and solar panels to new heating controls and remote energy monitoring across 360 dwellings.

The project complements HHT’s sustainability focus, which includes a goal for all its homes to have at a minimum an EPC rating of C by 2028, but a B rating if feasible and cost-effective.

The partnership procured with Fusion21 also brought another major benefit.

E:ON also teamed up with Building Heroes, who help veterans transition into civilian careers by reskilling them as Retrofit Surveyors.

Dedicated to creating positive societal change, E.ON has helped Building Heroes launch a Green Skills/Retrofit Surveyor/Assessor training program.

The program’s first 12 participants secured the required qualifications to assess and enhance home energy efficiency, and all graduates successfully transitioned into employment, kick-starting their careers as Retrofit Surveyors.

E:ON is continuing its partnership with Building Heroes, supporting more cohorts and creating career opportunities that empower ex-service personnel to thrive in the growing green energy sector.

Sarah Maguire, Head of Social Value at Fusion21 said: “This project is a wonderful example of the benefits of social value and using it in a considered way to improve the lives of the communities our members and suppliers serve. In this case, not only have hundreds of homes for ex-forces personnel been transformed, but the veterans have been able to re-train and embark on new careers. These outcomes are the result of social value being firmly embedded into our frameworks.”

Dan Gatenby, Sustainability Manager at Haig Housing, added: “Haig Housing have benefitted enormously from Fusion21’s assistance with our funding from the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (now the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund), helping transform many of our properties and benefitting our ex-military residents by creating warmer and more sustainable homes.”

For more information on our Decarbonisation Framework, worth £750 million over four years, click here.