Case Study: Retrofit Reality

Short Description

The Retrofit Reality project seeks to learn lessons for the sector through intensive research into the best solutions for existing stock in terms of cost, quality, availability, installation, future maintenance and user compatibility. Gentoo Group has allocated funds of £255,000 to the project and we have secured £100,000 part sponsorship from the Tenant Services Authority and a further £17,073 from the Low Carbon Building Programme. Gentoo aims to discover the best procurement methodology for microgenerational technology, comparing funding streams against high purchase competitive tenders. The project seeks to retrofit 129 properties with various energy efficient solutions (43 will get solar microgenerational technology). The participating Gentoo Sunderland households will then be split into control groups, testing the impact of various behavioural interventions. Data will be collected, evaluated and a report disseminated. An environmental consultancy undertook work for Gentoo to identify the best energy efficient solutions for our stock. Gentoo are also working with the University of Northumbria, funding two PHD students for a three year period to assist with the technical and behavioural aspects.

Key Elements

Certification

We have carried out Energy Performance Certificate assessments on all of our pilot properties and have an average rating of D/E. These assessments have been carried out by our own team of Energy Assessors. The ratings have been considered at the beginning of this project to allow us to gauge the measures we are fitting and see if the EPC ratings have improved. The same team have also measured our stock SAP rating which currently stands at 63.7, which is above the national Social Housing Provider average of 59.

Capacity Building

The biggest opportunity is for our staff to increase their understanding of new technologies and learn some commercially transferable skills allowing Gentoo to ‘Live the Learning’. This will allow the knowledge and understanding we develop to be disseminated throughout the sector - there are 7 million homes that could benefit from the information that will flow from this project and it will inform other retrofit projects. The work will also be usable in the wider housing market and possibly improve a further 18 million homes in the UK. We also hope to establish the level of bulk discounts available when purchasing new technology.

Work with Residents

Through undertaking this project we intend to determine which type of intervention style initiates behavioural change whilst also maximising the technology utilisation. Collation of real data on the effectiveness of the solutions rather than relying on theoretical assumptions for carbon and customer savings.  Ensuring that the solutions are not prejudicial to people on low incomes or who have special needs.

One of the main purposes of this project is to determine which type of technological and behavioural interventions succeed for our customers. Gentoo have been running a campaign called EASI (Environmental Sustainability and Impact). The EASI experience is an awareness raising campaign for Gentoo tenants and Gentoo staff.  The experience will increase the knowledge and comprehension of the issues surrounding the environment and sustainability to both tenants and staff, by making information more accessible. It is intended to be an ongoing project which is delivered by a number of smaller initiatives under the EASI banner. This project seeks to identify the effectiveness of the solutions for all our customers whilst also aiming to identify those in fuel poverty to assist Gentoo and our partners determine how best to tackle this agenda. Gentoo Green are working closely with Gentoo Sunderland to develop a Customer Communication package to ensure that both those who have and have not been selected for the pilot are informed and updated on an ongoing basis.

Funding

Gentoo Group has allocated funds of £255,000 to the project to date and the Retrofit Reality Project has already secured £100,000 from the Tenant Services Authority.

The procurement methodology for this project will ensure value for money is obtained and will identify payback baselines of the energy efficient technology against carbon and cost savings gained for our customers. Part of the project plan is to work out whether there are implications for service charges so we are working with the Income team to establish the business case, although we don’t intend to introduce them on properties selected for the pilot.

Gentoo Green has secured additional funding from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme towards the installation of microgenerational technology at Peacehaven Court.

We have made the decision to incorporate electric fires into this project - switching from gas to electric will make substantial savings and the money saved to date has been used to part fund this project.

Project Management

A) We intend to discover the best procurement methodology, getting the best value for money and obtaining the best service.

B) Significantly improved speed and ease of the service delivery and installation process by the end of the scheme. Gentoo commissioned an environmental consultant to undertake a study to identify suitable kit on 9 of our standard house types. This ascertained that the following were the most viable options in terms of cost, CO² saved and payback:

1.    Solar hot water
2.    Mains fed showers
3.    A* rated boilers
4.    A* rated double or triple glazing

These are the only technologies we are using in our Retrofit Reality project. Gentoo have since developed a generic Solar specification- which was agreed by Gentoo Sunderland, Homes and Construction.

Thermal Insulation

Some insulation measures (these are on top of a full stock insulation programme Gentoo are running from 2001 to date, saving around £4.2 million per annum in customer energy bills) have been incorporated into the project. For example on the Eden Vale Estate the following was included: these properties are bungalows with low pitch roofs, limited loft space and are occupied by elderly residents who have limited demand for hot water. These properties are however a non traditional construction, hard to treat and have been identified as ‘fuel poverty’ housing stock and will therefore receive external cladding as part of the Retrofit Reality project in addition to the planned modernisation programme. This has seen SAP ratings on these properties almost double.

Air Tightness

By installing electric fires into the properties involved in the Retrofit Reality project (and any property within Gentoo’s stock that will be modernised from May 2009 onwards), we have removed the need for ventilation in rooms which did have gas fires. This has improved the air tightness of the properties and also increased the thermal comfort of said rooms. This is been very well received by tenants who have often made reference to the draft issues surrounding wall ventilation.

Windows and Shading

During the project around 60 properties will have single glazed units replaced with double glazed windows (5 properties will receive A rated double glazing).

Ventilation

By installing electric fires into the properties involved in the Retrofit Reality project (and any property within Gentoo’s stock to be modernised from May 2009 onwards), we have removed the need for ventilation in rooms which did have gas fires. This has improved the air tightness of the properties and also increased the thermal comfort of said rooms. This has been very well received by tenants who have often made reference to the draft issues surrounding wall ventilation.

Heating and Hot Water

The project will see the replacement of all back boiler systems with A rated condensing combination boilers. In addition 45 No. of the properties, where the tenants chose an electric fire, will benefit from having a thermostat mechanical shower installed. We have also decided to install electric fires instead of gas, which when combined with the behavioural work and the efficient heating systems will lead to estimated savings of around £130 per year and 900kg of carbon. An exercise was conducted to establish the time and costs to raise the temperature in the centre of two identical living rooms from 110C to 230C; one using an electric fire and one with the Sahara LFE gas fire.  The gas fire at its highest setting of 4.3kW took around 70mins at a cost of 22.00p, whilst the more efficient electric fire took precisely 10mins at the 2kW setting at a cost of 5.20p.

Solar Thermal

Included in the project are 21 individual solar thermal systems that will be fitted to individual properties. On the Peacehaven Court site the incorporation of a solar thermal system with main boiler and a communal hot water system has been included- this will service 23 apartments.

Electricity Saving Products

We have issued 20 energy monitors to a control group of tenants who are not benefitting from the retrofit technologies to assist in the data gathering which is being carried out by Northumbria University PHD students. The findings will be disseminated to others.

Water Saving

We will be fitting thermostatic mechanical showers, where none is provided, which will lead to savings for our customers who up until now have had to take a bath. Following work carried out it is estimated that the savings to our customers who have no shower at present will be between £20 and £50 per annum. The savings to tenants who have an electric mains fed shower fitted at present will be between £100 to £125 per annum. We predict that the showers we are fitting will use around two thirds of the water (and energy) that would be typically used when taking a bath. Work carried out has shown that the mains fed showers will use around 6 litres of water per minute compared to 8 litres used by the electric showers currently installed and significantly lower than the average 60 litres used when taking a bath.

Main Results

This project consists of four key strands: research, customers, product and product access. We aim to overcome the technological, economic and behavioural challenges which make installing retrofit options difficult.

The main objectives are:

• Discovering the best procurement methodology.

• Significantly improved speed and ease of the service delivery and installation process.

• Determine which type of intervention style initiates behavioural change whilst also maximising the technology utilisation.

• Collation of real data on the effectiveness of the solutions rather than relying on theoretical assumptions for carbon and customer savings.  Ensuring that the solutions are not prejudicial to people on low incomes or who have special needs.

This project is designed to test technologies, activate suppliers and the procurement process, speed up service delivery, improve value for money thus improving the overall package for our customers and assist them to save energy and reduce fuel bills.

The main outcomes will be:

• Suppliers and installers of microgenerational technology will have a greater understanding of the needs, capabilities and demands of the market. They will be able to tailor their business to suit the needs and aspirations of the sector.

• Through working with the supply chain to procure the best value we will set a benchmark for others in the industry.

• Establish which behavioural changes maximise the potential to reduce carbon emissions.

• Improved knowledge for stock holders and owners of the suitability of products.

Other outcomes of the scheme should see the refinement of sustainable procurement methodology, whilst establishing best value sustainable technological solutions on the market, taking into account cost and carbon savings. The results should then help inform Gentoo’s future investment decisions and provide a similar insight to other organisations.

Lessons learned

From commencing this project we have learnt many lessons including:

• Difficulties with property type, location, position and structure.
• onvincing customers to participate, this took time. Seen as positive as most of our customers wanted to take part.
• Difficulty in procuring microgenerational technologies, lack of market activity means prices are high and competition low. We engaged with suppliers, manufacturers and installers to get the best all round package- this took time. Obtaining a specification for the Group suitable for new build and existing stock was complex. We did end up appointing Gentoo Construction to carry out some work meaning we were obtaining and keeping the learning within the company which is a strong point to the project.
• Issue surrounded installation - lack of knowledge about installation and maintaining new technologies- process sped up throughout project, especially on solar! Trades people are keen to do more similar projects- as they see themselves as being specialised!

Additional Information

There will be various reports published on the Gentoo Group website (www.gentoogroup.com) on the following dates: August 2009; October 2009 and May 2010.

If you require any further information you can email us on enviro.info@gentoogreen.com