05/02/2021
Flagship’s largest renewable heating project cuts costs for Flagship customers, tackling fuel poverty in the East of England
Customers in Runnacles Way, Felixstowe, are enjoying significantly cheaper energy bills, thanks to a new £1.4m communal heating scheme. Flagship Group has partnered with Norfolk-based renewable heating expert, Finn Geotherm, to install the renewable heating system, benefitting 113 of Flagship’s customers.
Research suggests that over two million families in the UK live in poor housing conditions and suffer from fuel poverty. Not only does this have a huge impact on people’s health – with the NHS spending around £1.4 billion each year treating people affected by poor housing – but it also affects our environment.
Madeleine Jefferies, Head of Housing at Flagship Homes said: “Last year was challenging for everyone and we know that many people really struggled to pay their energy bills. Fuel poverty is a serious issue which can affect the wider community, and we’re always looking at ways to make our customers’ homes more affordable and giving people some breathing space when things get tough. Our customers in Felixstowe have already seen a difference in their prices and we’re delighted that we can help to make a difference.”
Nearly two thirds of UK homes fail to meet long-term energy efficiency targets, but through working in partnership to install this new renewable energy heating system, customer energy use has already been cut by 70%. This will have a significant impact on carbon emissions, providing a more affordable and energy efficient living environment.
Since the installation of the ground source heat pump, which involved the Group’s heating company, Gasway Services, customers are also benefitting from cheaper energy bills – costing around 70% less than before, helping to effectively tackle fuel poverty and make a difference to the lives of Flagship customers.
Tony Hunt, Renewable Projects Manager at Gasway, said: "We're really proud of this project because large heat networks of this scale can really benefit customers, as well as having a positive impact on the environment. We're keen to continue to deliver projects like this across the East, to help create sustainable communities."
Megan Gonsalves, Energy and Sustainability Manager at Flagship Group said: “As a Group we’re embracing a greener, cleaner approach to our homes and across our business, to improve the future for our customers, and our planet. This has been a fantastic project; we’ve made progress in reducing our carbon footprint and we’re hoping to continue to improve heating systems in the communities that we serve.”
By introducing greener and more energy efficient ways of living, Flagship will be able to significantly reduce its carbon footprint and work towards the Government’s goal of being carbon neutral by 2050.
Find out more about this project in this short video: