The chair of retrofit contractor Sustainable Building Services (UK) Ltd has welcomed measures in the Autumn Budget aimed at easing household energy costs. He argued that home upgrades are the way to turn short-term support into savings that last for years.
Derek Horrocks, owner and chair at the company and chairperson at the National Home Decarbonisation Group (NHDG), set out his views in commentary issued on 4 November following the Budget. The comments respond to a series of announcements on household energy bills, including a £100 energy payment for millions of households and additional investment in social and affordable housing. According to the commentary, the government estimates that six in ten households will save on their energy bills from the measures.
01What the Budget included
Mr Horrocks said: “There were a lot of positives in the Chancellor’s announcements with a particular focus on energy security and costs.”
He pointed to the removal of standing charges from household gas bills, with a view to doing the same for electricity bills in the future. He also noted that 20 million households in council tax bands A to D will receive a £100 energy payment this winter, as part of a £2.6 billion scheme, and that the Budget confirmed the expected extra £1bn for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme, taking its total value past £40bn.
02Turning relief into long-term savings
Mr Horrocks argued that the focus on bills puts attention on how much energy homes actually use. In his view, that makes the work of the retrofit sector more valuable, particularly for families in older or poorly insulated homes who either turn the heating down or cannot afford to turn it on at all.
“The £100 household energy payment will also give millions of households welcome breathing space this winter, and retrofit is how we turn that short-term relief into lasting change,” he said.
He said retrofit teams are already transforming social homes through Warm Homes Plan funding, with residents seeing warmer rooms, lower bills and associated health and mental wellbeing benefits. Similar work has been seen elsewhere, as when Esh Construction completed retrofit works across Tees Valley.
On new homes, he added: “The additional investment in social housebuilding is encouraging too, but it will remain critical to make sure new and existing homes are held to the same high standard.”
He concluded: “The housing sector’s progress continues to be underpinned by Warm Homes Plan funding and long-term government support, and with that certainty in place we can keep delivering at pace and make warm, efficient homes the norm for every household.”
03About the company
Established in 1976, Sustainable Building Services (UK) Ltd is a turnkey solutions provider specialising in retrofit energy efficiency and decarbonisation works. It manages large-scale energy efficiency, microgeneration and planned maintenance programmes for registered social housing providers, and provides improvements to thousands of mixed-tenure properties per year.
The company delivers compliance under PAS2030:2023 / MCS and PAS2035:2023 across projects totalling £240m. Its work includes schemes under the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3, Warm Homes: Local Grant, and Optimised RetroFit Programme (ORP) Wales. Other parts of the housing sector have also been pressing government on delivery, including an SME housebuilder calling for fast implementation of reforms.
Details and image via Sustainable Building Services.
