It Costs No More.....

 to build homes that save residents money on fuel bills

Innovation is what this sector was built on, now could be the moment to innovate how this sector builds

John Bedford is Director of Project Development (Regeneration) for Accord InDesign

In the last year, tens of housing association Chief Executives, representatives from DCLG {Department for Communities and Local Government}, peers and the Minister of State for Housing and Planning Brandon Lewis MP, have all visited a factory in Beechdale, Walsall, to witness something a bit special (and a little Norwegian).

In the mid-2000s, the Accord Group were looking to deliver more than the traditional design and build contract available in the UK. This sparked a visit to Norway and the factory of an affordable housing co-operative named Hedalm Anebyhus who used timber from a nearby forest to construct sustainable, carbon-positive affordable homes. Seeing the homes, which blend subtly with natural environments due to their material and design, Accord decided to take the plunge and import and build some of them in the UK. After a fruitful partnership with Hedalm, in 2009 Accord decided to take the next step and actually manufacture the homes themselves in the UK. With Hedalm happy to give advice and support Accord set about establishing a factory in the UK – the first of its kind using local labour – and from this move, LoCaL Homes was born.

Each of these high quality homes which far exceed minimum building regulations and cost residents only £200 a year to heat is produced at the same cost as a home built using traditional methods to meet minimum requirements. This effort was helped in no small part by Walsall Council who signposted and leased an empty factory in the Beechdale estate of Walsall, an area of high unemployment and in need of regeneration. This partnership with the council was shortlisted for Sustainable housing partnership of the year (Sustainable Housing Awards 2014) and has enabled LoCaL Homes to get to the trailblazing stage it is now. By bringing back in to use a dormant factory, LoCaL Homes has helped bring 20-30 jobs to an area and community which desperately needed them.    

In the context of the changes in the operating environment for housing associations, there is a clear imperative to make substantial efficiencies through our business, particularly if we wish to continue developing affordable housing. It costs no more to build homes which save residents significant money on their fuel bills which makes it easier for them to pay their rent. And there is no longer a need to pay for contractor’s profits on top of that, which allows us to maintain development capacity in an environment of low levels of government grant whilst also avoiding creating affordability traps for our residents.

Just as we were able to take this idea from Norway and bring it to the UK we are keen to help others expand the LoCaL Homes method beyond our Beechdale factory. With the gains that can be made on construction processes, energy efficiency and employment, and growing industry momentum behind off-site manufacture, we feel this method can be a part of the solution for housing associations wishing to keep developing into the medium-term. Innovation is what this sector was built on, now could be the moment to innovate how this sector builds. 

Source:- http://www.housing.org.uk/media/blog/it-costs-no-more-to-build-homes-that-save-residents-money-on-fuel-bills/