Energy efficiency

Our Approach to Energy Efficiency

At Ability Housing Association, we want our homes to be warm, comfortable, affordable to heat and fit for the future.

Energy efficiency is an important part of how we manage and invest in our homes. By improving the energy efficiency of a property, we can help reduce the amount of energy needed to heat it and, where improvements reduce energy use, help our tenants keep their energy bills as low as possible.

We recognise that the cost of heating a home is an important issue for many households. While we cannot control energy prices or guarantee that improvements will reduce individual energy bills, making a home more energy efficient can make it easier and more affordable to keep warm.

Using information to improve our homes

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs)

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) tells us how warm and energy-efficient your home is.

  • It gives your home a rating from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient).

  • It shows details about your heating, insulation, windows, and lighting.

  • It suggests changes that could make your home warmer and cheaper to run.

How We Decide Where to Spend Money

We use EPC ratings and home checks to plan repairs and updates.

  • We look at each home individually: Every home is different, so we do not use a one-size-fits-all approach.

  • We use real data: This helps us see which homes need the most work.

  • We spend money where it helps most: We target our improvements so they make the biggest difference to your home.

What improvements might be made?

Every home is different, so the improvements required will vary from property to property.

Depending on the age, construction, condition and energy performance of your home, improvements could include:

  • New or improved energy-efficient windows
  • A new or more efficient boiler
  • New or more efficient heating systems or heaters
  • Energy-efficient light bulbs or light fittings
  • Loft insulation
  • Improvements to other areas of insulation
  • Improvements to the building fabric to help retain heat
  • Other measures that can improve the energy performance of your home

Not every property will need all of these improvements. In some cases, a combination of smaller improvements may provide the best result, while other homes may require more significant investment.

Keeping our EPC information up to date

It is important that the information we use to make these decisions is accurate and up to date.

We are therefore undertaking a programme of new and renewed EPCs across our properties. This will give us a clearer and more current picture of the energy performance of our homes.

We are also carrying out energy efficiency improvements to a number of properties each year.

By doing these two things alongside each other, we can continually improve our understanding of our housing stock and use the information to help shape our future investment plans.

An EPC is not simply a certificate that we keep on file. We want to use the information it provides to help us make better decisions about our homes and where improvements are needed.

Why is energy efficiency becoming increasingly important?

Making Our Homes Warmer and Greener

Making our homes energy efficient is important for our tenants and the planet.

In 2026, the Government set new rules for social housing:

  • By 2030: All social homes must reach an EPC C energy rating or higher in at least one area (like heating or insulation).

  • By 2039: Homes must meet a second EPC C standard.

What This Means for You

  • Comfortable Homes: We are making sure your home is warm, well-maintained, and easy to heat.

  • Smart Spending: We choose the right improvements for each specific home so you get the biggest benefits.

  • Helping the Planet: Making homes energy efficient reduces waste and protects the environment.

Our programme of investment

Energy efficiency improvements are part of our long-term investment programme.

We will continue to carry out a number of improvements each year while also renewing EPCs and gathering better information about our homes.

This means that our programme will develop over time. As we gather more information, we will be better able to identify properties that would benefit from investment and plan that work alongside our wider programmes for repairs, maintenance, renewal and improvement.

If your home is identified for energy efficiency improvements, we will contact you with information about the work, why it is being carried out and what you can expect.

Looking to the future

Our aim is to take a planned, long-term approach to improving energy efficiency, rather than treating it as a one-off programme.

By investing in our homes, keeping our information up to date and responding to changes in legislation and government standards, we can continue to improve the quality of our properties.

Most importantly, we want our homes to provide a warm, comfortable and decent place to live, while helping our tenants use energy as efficiently as possible.

Improving energy efficiency is an investment in our homes, our tenants and the future of our housing stock as well as our planet.