Climate Change Data

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Sustainability
• Climate Change
• Building Safety
• Tenant Well-being
• Community Engagement
• Workforce Development

Environmental Achievements

• Removed gas from all high-rise buildings, improving building safety and reducing carbon emissions.
• Invested £37.4 million in property improvements, including double glazing for over 4,000 properties and aiming to upgrade all single-glazed windows by December 2023.
• Built 137 new affordable homes with EPC rating A, resulting in estimated energy bills of just over £1 per day.
• Set a target to achieve EPC rating C for all properties by 2030.
• Successfully bid for Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, resulting in energy efficiency work on hundreds of properties.
• Reduced carbon emissions by 75-80% by 2025 (target)

Social Achievements

• Improved responsive repairs service, achieving a 10% improvement in getting repairs right first time.
• Launched a £19 million improvement scheme to modernise 1,100 properties in Pennywell, Sunderland.
• Supported over 250 tenants with financial advice and guidance through the Money Matters Team.
• Provided support to 175 tenants at risk of losing their tenancy through Positive Engagement Team.
• Supported 216 people through Victim Support Team.
• Supported 200 young people with tenancy-related services.
• Provided 25 young people with supported housing.
• Launched the HALO Project to support vulnerable people in Hetton.
• Launched the Sunderland Voluntary Sector Alliance to strengthen the voluntary sector.
• Supported 300 school children with a new breakfast club.
• Supported over 1,500 children through the Raising Aspirations programme.
• Rehoused 81 veterans.

Governance Achievements

• Retained maximum G1 Governance rating from the Regulator of Social Housing.
• Developed a diverse and experienced board.

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Record high inflation
• Building materials shortages
• Lack of skilled workers
• Impacts of climate change (severe weather)
• Cost of living crisis
• Storm damage costing over £2 million

Mitigation Strategies

• Working with tenants through support services (Money Matters) and partner organizations.
• Improving energy efficiency of existing and new homes.
• Centralizing management of high-rise buildings to improve tenant experience and safety.
• Developing a programme of improvement works to address the Building Safety Act 2022.
• Investing in digital transformation to improve efficiency and reduce carbon footprint.
• Overhauling the formal complaints process to better understand tenant experiences.

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement

• Working with local contractors to support community initiatives.

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks

• Severe weather damage

Opportunities

• Development of energy-efficient products

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• New affordable house types with enhanced thermal envelope and renewable technologies.

Awards & Recognition

• Gentoo Homes retained its five-star status from the Home Builders Federation for the third year in a row.
• Affordable Development Team won Development Team of the Year at the Inside Housing Development Awards.

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Affordability and security
• Building safety and quality
• Resident voice
• Resident support
• Placemaking
• Climate change
• Ecology
• Resource management
• Governance
• Staff wellbeing
• Supply chain management

Environmental Achievements

• Saved an estimated £3.2m in electricity costs through rooftop photo-voltaic (PV) solar panels, averaging £578 per home.
• 99.98% of homes with a gas appliance have in-date gas safety checks.
• 100% of buildings have an in-date fire risk assessment.
• 62.2% of homes are at EPC C or above.
• All new affordable homes are at EPC band A or B.
• 95% of waste diverted from landfill by contractors.

Social Achievements

• 93.6% of customers surveyed were satisfied with service quality.
• Provided 881 gas and electricity top-ups to vulnerable customers.
• Helped over 5,900 customers claim over £760,000 in discounted water rates.
• 2,425 support referrals provided.
• 1,944 referrals to wellbeing support provided.
• Pennywell Regeneration Project will regenerate 1,162 properties.

Governance Achievements

• A G1 (governance) / V2 (financial viability) regulatory grading was granted in November 2020 and reconfirmed since.
• Follows the National Housing Federation Code of Governance 2020.
• Accredited Real Living Wage employer.

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Addressing damp and mould issues.
• Improving data capture for Scope 3 emissions.
• Quantifying the risk of overheating in homes.
• Higher proportion of men than women in upper pay quarters.

Mitigation Strategies

• Contacted all customers about damp and mould, set up a specialist team, produced a Damp and Mould Policy, and established a dedicated section on their website.
• Working to improve data capture for each emissions category and scope.
• Commissioned SHIFT Environment to complete a flood risk assessment and develop an action plan.
• Reviewing recruitment for construction and site management roles to attract more women.

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement

• Social Value Portal partnership; 10% weighting for social value in tenders over £100,000.
• Questions about environmental effects (carbon emissions, recycling, responsibly sourced materials, waste disposal) included in supplier and contract documents.

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks

• Increased flood risk
• Increased risk of homes overheating

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: Sustainability Reporting Standard for Social Housing (SRS)

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• New affordable homes with energy-efficient features (air source heat pumps, thermal battery storage, full fill insulation, EV charging points).