The Hyde Group is committed to reducing its own impact on the environment, and in providing comfortable, affordable homes that are economical to run.
For over 10 years we have been committed to improving the energy efficiency of our homes, either through building new eco-friendly properties to by refurbishing existing ones.
The knowledge we have learnt has been invaluable in developing our expertise and will help in our next goal of rolling out environmental improvements across all our homes. Since 2008 Hyde has achieved the international environment management standard, ISO 14001. This means that not only is our own environmental impact assessed, but also that of our residents.
We therefore provide advice and guidance to help in the reduction of their carbon footprint – a policy which extends to our new build and regeneration programmes ensuring our developments preserve natural resources and do not damage the environment.
In 2008 we held our first Green Week to coincide with the launch of our Environmental Sustainability Policy and Action Plan. Our Park Street office has been awarded the Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) “Very Good” level for environmental sustainability.
We are piloting a project to retrofit a three bedroom house with technologies to cut CO2 levels by 80 per cent. Data will be used to shape our approach to similar reductions in our other 40,000 homes. We are also developing a Code for Sustainable Homes level 5 Scheme in Beecholme Drive, Ashford, Kent. We want to work with residents to reach a sustainable future through projects and an information campaign.
Hyde underwent the SHIFT (Sustainable Homes Index for Tomorrow) assessment in 2008 - a scheme where housing associations are assessed for their green credentials. This ground breaking external survey measures how effective housing associations are being in practically improving their environmental sustainability. We currently have a Bronze award and will be reassessed later this year. SHIFT has received endorsements from the Mayor of London and the National Housing Federation.
We have taken a 1930s house 'Retrofit and Replicate' and refurbished it to current standards. This will enable us to employ similar techniques across homes in The Hyde Group.
The home is now occupied and we are monitoring energy use and will produce a comprehensive report in the summer of 2011. Lessons learnt here will be used in Phase II which will be a retrofit house in a conservation area where restrictions are placed on alterations to the exterior of the building.
Read more about the Retrofit & Replicate House.
Working with Ashford Borough Council this scheme, currently in the planning stage, aims to reduce the properties impact on the environment by reducing the costs of fuel bills while increasing their quality of life.
Water saving measures will include using rain water for toilet flushing, a biomass boiler for water heating and solar panels for heating. An urban draining system will collect water and store it for release through natural ground water channels.
The site will encourage biodiversity through sensitive planning, green roofs and hedgerows and wildlife promotion in the nearby woodland.
In 2000 we took five homes built and designed in different ways and over the past 10 years we have monitored their energy and environmental characteristics. Two homes were built using a timber frame and one house and two flats were built using high thermal mass masonry construction.
All the homes were monitored for two years and a report has helped us shape ideas we have learnt across Hyde. We have revisited this scheme so we can assess how the homes have performed in practice.
