An extra care and retirement living provider has achieved a major milestone as all of its properties have reached energy performance certificate C status eight years ahead of the government’s target.

Housing 21, which manages over 20,000 properties across the UK, achieved the certification following confirmation that all of its developments are qualified as EPC C, with sustainability measures that were first introduced in 2016 to reduce its carbon footprint.

The measures included upgraded insulation, roof works, solar panels, new heating and hot water systems. Housing 21 has made substantial progress in its fabric first strategy, focusing on the sustainability of the design.

The social landlord says it’s committed to bringing residents on the environmental journey too, providing them with insight on how to reduce their carbon footprint, and consulting on bespoke Court Sustainability Strategies for each scheme.

Ashley Norwood, Housing 21’s Property Services Manager within the Asset Management Team, said: “Our aim was to be a leading organisation with our sustainability aspirations and given the size of Housing 21 with over 20,000 properties that we manage, we are very proud to have achieved EPC C status across all our properties before the government’s 2030 target.

“The main focus now is ensuring our carbon footprint is managed efficiently and investing in new technology for our homes to avoid using fossil fuels where possible.

“Our resident ambassadors play a key role in liaising with us directly and assisting us on what more we can do to support green initiatives at our developments, whilst encouraging an open dialogue and further action on sustainability.

“The EPC C status comes significantly in advance of the government’s targets for housing associations by 2030, which is something we have been very keen to achieve as soon as possible. We are committed to ensuring sustainability continues to be a key agenda item for our housing stock.

“All of our building surveying team are trained as domestic energy assessors; we are able to have our net zero goal at the forefront of every investment decision we make as well as in-house knowledge and understanding of energy improvement works and how they impact the performance of our buildings. This aligns with the wider organisational culture and focus on sustainability.”