‘Crucial’ decarbonisation works completed on 23 Rochdale homes

90-year-old resident, Maud, who had her home retrofit, pictured alongside Thomas Bebbington from Equans

More than 20 bungalows in Rochdale have undergone retrofitting work to make them more sustainable and reduce energy consumption.

The refurbishment scheme on the 23 Buckley View bungalows was recently completed by Equans and Rochdale Boroughwide Housing.

Work carried out includes replacing cavity wall and roof insulation, external wall insulation with a brick slip finish, upgraded ventilation, and new windows and doors. These improvements will improve the efficiency of the homes, aiming to improve thermal comfort, help with energy bills, and lower carbon emissions as a result.

Commenting on the work undertaken, RBH tenant, Janine Haslam Ralph, said: “All involved have been very helpful, clean and courteous to us and our home. During the works I can honestly say that Tom and Darren (the site team) from Equans have really supported my husband – who is autistic – and myself.”

Maud, aged 90, who lives in one of the bungalows, said: “Equans have been brilliant with me, they’ve worked on my home with care and consideration and Tom and Darren have both been absolute stars.

“I’ve lived in this very bungalow for 26 years, and it already feels warmer which will be a big help come the winter months.”

This work, undertaken by Equans’ specialist refurbishment team in the North West, is in line with several projects which will help clients reduce their carbon emissions.

Equans and RBH also delivered added social value as part of the scheme, with two new apprentices hired along with seven who were retained as part of the scheme, with a total of 70% local labour employed during the contract.

Tina Iball, RBH Strategic Lead for Sustainability, said: “We are working hard to improve the quality, energy efficiency, and comfort of our homes and reducing our impact on the environment. This project makes a great contribution to playing our part to meet Greater Manchester's carbon neutral targets by 2038.”

Neil Warburton, Refurbishment Director at Equans, said: “We’re delighted to have finished these crucial retrofit works, which will no doubt see an increase in energy efficiency and hopefully savings on fuel for residents as a result. The climate emergency is an ever-present issue, and Equans is pleased to be helping combat this through our fabric first approach.”

The scheme has been shortlisted for three awards: ‘Best Retrofit Initiative’ at the Northern Housing Awards 2022, "large scale project of the year" at the North West Energy Efficiency Awards, and for "sustainability project of the year" at the Aico HomeLink Community Awards 2022.