ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY · keep warm, and save money by identifying the problem areas in your home and giving you tools to manage your energy efficiently. Aspirations

ENVIRONMENTALSUSTAINABILITY STRATEGYAnnual Statement 2014/15

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IntroductionThe environment is fragile and we need to conserve resources to protect our future. We recognise this and understand that as both a consumer of services and provider of homes, there is a lot we can do to reduce the impact of our activities on the environment. This statement sets out our approach to environmental sustainability and our progress to date.

The strategyThe focus of our activity will be on the following areas:

To reduce the carbon footprint of our operations: We will ensure that our activities reduce waste, reduce energy consumption and minimise CO2 emissions. This activity will extend to our contractors, office premises and supply chain.

To reduce Residents’ energy consumption: We will support residents to reduce consumption of fuel whilst enabling them to remain safe and warm. This will include provision of specialist equipment, improvement works and providing various forms of learning and information.

To use low life cycle products where possible: We will take an incremental approach to addressing the life cycle of components in our homes in order to reduce the need for replacement, and deliver energy efficient solutions during their lifetime.

To reduce waste: We will encourage and participate in recycling activities for both ourselves and our residents in order to recycle as much as possible. We will also ensure that goods are re-used as far as possible by supporting and participating in schemes which promote this.

To make the best use of green space: We will encourage a range of planting from growing food to increasing biodiversity across our sites. We will engage our residents in the use of their open spaces and where the quality of open spaces is poor, we will work with residents to undertake improvement works.

To manage water efficiently: We will work to reduce our water consumption and encourage residents to do the same. We will use our procurement process, install specialist equipment and carry out improvement works to deliver this.

Good Rubbish Dayat the TVH office

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How we will deliver these aimsWe will assess our performance on an annual basis against each of the six criteria and identify actions we need to take to improve. Where possible, we will measure our progress in terms of carbon emissions and deliverable outcomes. Our overall position, progress to date and aims for the next 12 months will be set out in our annual Environmental Sustainability Statement for 2015/16 which will be published on our website. This is the statement for 2014/15.

‘I recycle because...’ photoshoot

TVHGOOD benchmark

TYPICAL benchmark

16.82

31.60

6.78

Carbon emissions (kgCO2e/m2/year)

HEATING EMISSIONSFor example, the CO2 emissions to heat our office (including water heating) are more than 4 times less than the typical emittions from offices built like ours.

BENCHMARKINGOur office has considerably lower

carbon emissions when compared to ECON19’s air conditioned office

benchmarks.TYPICAL Benchark

GOOD Benchark

0 50 100 150 200


TVH

ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY STATEMENT

Reducing the carbon footprint of TVH operations

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How well we’re doingWe take a proactive approach to managing the impact of our operations on the environment and are always seeking new opportunities to improve our performance.

In our activities we continue to benefit from our office premises as a low carbon workplace with its BREAM Excellent and SKA Gold ratings. The works undertaken in 2012/13 led to a reduction in energy use of 39%. We also ensure that we minimise the impact of our actions by doing things like purchasing green energy, using follow me printing, re-cycling batteries and using wax printers to reduce chemicals. In 2013/14 we decreased staff commuting by car from 48% to 32% as a result of our green travel plan.

We are also careful to work with contractors to ensure their activities meet our requirements. For example our gas contractor has three accreditations in relation to environmental sustainability.

Recent Achievements:This year we renewed the membership and arrangements for our internal sustainability groups to get fresh ideas. This was kicked off with a piece of research into staff awareness and behaviours in this area. This gave us the information we needed to trial new approaches.

As a result we raised awareness of environmental sustainability with our staff through a number of initiatives, from posters advertising our green credentials to creating a dedicated area on our intranet. Staff have engaged positively with these initiatives and there is a core of people keen to promote energy aware behaviour. There was also a targeted campaign around re-cycling which is covered in the section on reducing waste.

On the back of a successful re-launch of our Green Travel Plan last year we have built on this success with more free cycling lessons, bike checks, bike markings and a talk on safe cycling for staff. We also provided folding bike lockers to further encourage cycling to work. Staff enthusiastically blogged about these sessions on our intranet. We also encouraged car sharing via our intranet as well as changing working practices to reduce mileage by working away from the office.

Our cleaning contractor Cleanscapes also contributed to the reduction in travel by replacing 30 vans with newer, more fuel efficient models and having speed restrictors across their fleet reducing fuel use by over 20%. Travel has also been reduced by using Kwik Fit for localised servicing, repairs and MOTS and they have trialled their first electric vehicle.

We have also taken steps to reduce our energy consumption by using cloud hosting more efficiently so we don’t have to increase our server when we upgrade IT systems. We also encouraged staff to reduce their energy consumption by running Green Doctor sessions for them. Green Doctors are certified professionals who can help you use less energy, keep warm, and save money by identifying the problem areas in your home and giving you tools to manage your energy efficiently.

Aspirations for the future: The focus for the year ahead will be printing, travel and technology. We will look at a range of ideas we can use to encourage behaviours which reduce the impact on the environment. We will be working with the Low Carbon Workplace to make sure our approach has the biggest impact. We will also look at re-running our travel survey to measure progress.

Posters encouraging sustainability

at the TVH office

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71%

REDUCING RESIDENT CONSUMPTIONTVH properties have a higher average

Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) than the UK housing and UK social

housing sectors.UK

housing

51%62.4%

UK social

housing

UK social

housing TVH

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How well we’re doingWe have been investing in the energy efficiency of the homes we manage for many years through our planned repairs programme. Our stock condition survey is used to identify the energy performance of individual homes and we have targeted resources at the worst performing. Alongside this we have also carried out improvement works across large numbers of properties, such as installing and upgrading loft insulation.

Work includes the insulation of solid wall properties, the use of Baxi A rated condensing boilers which exceed the latest European standards in safety and energy efficiency, installation of passive infrared (PIR) sensors on communal lighting, installation of ground source heat pumps and the installation of solar panels. These measures have been instrumental in reducing the energy consumption and costs for our residents.

Our new homes are all either Code for Sustainable Homes Level three or four. This exceeds current building regulations and we use a ‘fabric first’ approach to ensure the best thermal performance of the building prior to adding additional energy saving devices. Items often fitted include photo voltaic panels, solar water heating and district heating systems all of which reduce energy consumption.

Our stock currently has an average Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) rating of 71%. This compares favourably with a UK social housing average of 62.4% and UK housing average of 51%.

We also regularly update and inform residents through various forms of communication and surveys around energy consumption. Feedback from residents is used to change the way we work. Following a resident survey on sustainability, the works we carry out on a property before it is let now include the installation of a shower and low energy light bulbs.


Reducing Resident Energy Consumption

Recent AchievementsThis year we provided information for our residents to reduce energy consumption on our website with an emphasis on saving money and also asked residents to contact us if they had a green project they would like to run on their estate.

This year we also launched our first energy saving competition for residents who receive advice and monthly equipment such as draft excluders, shower timers, timer switches etc., over a 12 month period. Each family is given support, with all ages encouraged to join in. There is a prize for the household making the biggest energy saving at the end of the year and the results will be announced in January 2016.

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We continued to provide external cladding to homes in Rushmoor continuing on from no. 23 up to no. 44. Twelve owners also took advantage of our offer to do their houses whilst we were on site. The increased insulation is reducing energy consumption and bills for residents. We will have information after 12 months on the actual energy savings made.

We installed LED lighting at Maple House in Kew replacing fittings which were 10 years old and on 24 hours a day. The installation included lighting controls to switch off areas where there is natural daylight and a time clock arrangement. In addition, the lighting controls were set at 40% brightness in some areas. Overall, this provides an estimated energy saving of approximately 50% on the communal lighting energy use.

Following the installation of gas central heating to a site in Guildford, we provided all residents with the opportunity to attend a Green Doctor event which gave them information on how to use their new systems efficiently as well as other energy saving tips. This was also followed up with an article in our residents’ magazine and a new leaflet which will be available for all new residents and handed out with the annual gas safety check.

Oxford Brooks University carried out research into a section of our new build homes to assess their energy performance. The report found that airtightness was not as robust in reality as the design had assumed and U-values were lower than anticipated. Systems such as MVHR were not as efficient as had been estimated due to a combination of incorrect commissioning and a misunderstanding of how to use the product by residents. As a result we have produced a leaflet on passive ventilation systems which explains the correct way to use them. We will also be monitoring the quality of new builds around air-tightness.

Aspirations for the futureWe would like to look at opportunities to train tenants to become Green Doctors so they can run sessions in the areas where they live. We will also be reviewing the outcomes of our resident competition to reduce energy consumption and advertising the results.

We will also be trialling a YouTube video showing residents how to use the equipment in their home.

Our residents have received over 70 free devices to help them measure

their energy consumptionand reduce waste.

How well we’re doingWe set high standards for the components we fit to our homes as this reduces future maintenance costs, reduces component replacement and increases resident satisfaction. This leads to reduced waste and reduced energy consumption as the components need replaced less often.

An example of this is the cyclical programme of works where we fit highly efficient “A” rated Baxi gas boilers. The easy- to-use heating controls have also been well received by customers and help manage energy consumption.

All new schemes we build are scrutinised by a technical appraisal group to ensure that durable products are used and can be maintained easily and at low cost. Each new scheme’s lifecycle costs are financially modelled to ensure the total costs over a 60 year period are kept below a threshold of 80% of the build cost.

Recent AchievementsThis year we have completed reviews of kitchen ranges, extractor fans, windows and communal lighting to create a list of standard components which are energy efficient with long life cycles. We have reviewed manufacturers’ green credentials as part of this and ensured that as far as possible we are only using parts which minimise the impact on the environment in terms of production and use of materials.

Our kitchen ranges for example are 100% recyclable and one of the best products on the market in terms of sustainability. In addition to using these products in our planned replacement works, we are also installing them where we can on our new build homes.

This year we also instigated a new process for updating our development design brief which will mean contracts will be procured using up to date information on component performance from our Asset Management department. Changes include the boiler manufacturer, lift specification, communal lighting and reference to Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations 2014.

Aspirations for the futureNext year we will work with our main repairs contractor to review the components used and their approach to sustainability to see what improvements can be delivered.

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Low Life Cycle Components

We recycle 90%of all the furniture our residents

leave behind.

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How well we’re doingWe recycle100% of the waste produced by our head office, and we always use components with long life cycles in our homes where we can. We actively encourage re-cycling across our offices including green waste and battery re-cycling points. We only use re-cycled paper in our offices. As well as directly managing our own waste, we also seek to reduce waste through the contractors we employ by insisting they have a waste management policy in place. The majority of our key contractors also have an ISO140001 accreditation.

Our responsive repairs contractor, gas repairs and servicing contractor and our door entry-phone contractor all have systems in place to ensure the sorting and re-cycling of waste materials which have been approved by us. We currently also have a paint can recycling initiative in place as part of our cyclical redecorations programme.

Recent AchievementsOur contractors have achieved some good outcomes across our areas of operation. In particular, 90% of any belongings left behind by residents are re-cycled when they move out and our grounds and cleaning contractors recycle 100% of all cardboard, wood and green waste collected from our sites. 100% of all dumped electric and white goods have been recycled at amenity tips, and 50 items from sites across our schemes have been re-used rather than being sent to land fill. Also our repairs partner, Axis Europe, have an environmental management system and site waste management plan which means that they recycle 100% of timber, copper, UPVC and hazardous waste.

We also looked at the amount of re-cycling we do in the office this year. The staff intranet has been key in driving this, along with briefing sessions and posters. Kitchen re-cycling has been a particular target with events such as clearing out a land fill bin to see how much recyclable material it contained (and advertising the results on the intranet), quizzes, questionnaires, and “Did you know” blog posts. To track this we have started counting the bags going into landfill.

We have also begun to focus on paper consumption by producing an activity report to track it, introducing double sided printing as a default and having ‘orphaned’ paper boxes in the print rooms to demonstrate how much paper is wasted. Our cleaning contractor Cleanscapes also introduced paperless sign off sheets reducing paper consumption by around 120,000 A4 sheets per annum.

We also included the opportunity for residents to recycle as part of our TVH On Tour initiative and ‘good rubbish’ day at an estate in Sutton to provide re-cycling opportunities as well as a specific clothes re-cycling initiative in Slough.

Aspirations for the futureNext year we will work with the Low Carbon Workplace to devise a range of initiatives which will increase the activity in this area through wider staff engagement.


Reducing Waste

School childrenbuilding bird boxes

with help from Surrey Wildlife Trust

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How well we’re doingAs a provider of over 14,000 homes across the South East we are responsible for the management of a large number of open spaces. We take a responsible approach to the environmental aspects of these areas and instigate many activities with residents to enhance their appearance and maximise their use. Over the years we have helped residents install vegetable areas, enhance the planting and complete make-overs of garden areas which residents then maintain.

Through our cleaning and gardening contractors we work in partnership to deliver local projects, with access to materials and labour. This has complemented our own programme of improvement works and enabled us to have a much bigger impact. We actively manage our trees to ensure long life as well as planting new ones.

On our new build sites, we have a comprehensive design guide which covers green spaces and ensures that we provide areas which enhance the natural environment and engage with residents to make the best use of them. The guide provides specific expert landscape guidance including planting and the selection and location of trees.

Recent AchievementsOur Community Investment Strategy continues to deliver a wide range of environmental projects and in 2014/15, 20 projects were funded and delivered as part of this strategy. These projects are covered in full as part of our annual Go Green report.

This year saw the delivery of a project in Slough where we partnered with the Woodland Trust. Volunteers planted 1000 trees in two days, next to one of our housing schemes. Being next to the M4 and the Heathrow flight path, the impact will be to reduce noise, improve air quality and encourage wild life.

As part of a resident focussed Green Week we also completed five projects over five days with different communities. These events ranged from clearing up open spaces to making your own bird box and beetle nest. As part of this we funded a project to clear up a copse in Reading using community volunteers and removing rubbish and fly tipping from a woodland area. We funded a day of wildlife sessions in Westfield Primary School in Woking for 240 children in partnership with Surrey Wildlife Trust. We also published an article in our resident’s magazine giving advice on re-planting a vegetable patch to encourage local food production and we supported residents to set up a vegetable patch on their estate. Our grounds contractors Just Ask also converted 200 tonnes of green waste from our sites into compost.


Optimise the use of Green Space

In addition we helped fund three environmental projects through our small grants scheme, Community Chest. These included an educational art walk with the Bucks Wildlife Trust and an allotment project with Hounslow Food Box. This year we have also completed 14 estate improvement projects with increased resident involvement in the final design.

We also improved our approach to final design on new schemes with early involvement of the estates team. This helps ensure open spaces are better suited to those who live there and encourage biodiversity. We complete site visits to sign off designs and check sites throughout the defects period to make sure that standards are maintained and planting is well looked after.

Aspirations for the futureWe will continue to roll out various community based initiatives with our residents to raise awareness, improve the quality of the environment and ensure sustainability.

Planting 1000 trees in Slough

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How well we’re doingWe ensure that we minimise our own water consumption as an organisation in the types of products we use in our offices, such as zip taps and waterless urinals. Across our stock we advise residents, encourage the reduction of wasted water and have supplied free water butts to residents across various sites to enable rainwater to be used on gardens.

Our grounds maintenance contractors have invested in a de-ionisation system to take impurities out of waste water to turn it into pure water for re-use. There is an increased cost, however this approach (unlike cheaper standard filtration systems) produces no waste water.

All our new homes have dual flush WC’s, small baths, low flow showers and water butts in the gardens of houses. Any white goods supplied in our new homes are A+ rated as a minimum and we ensure sustainable urban drainage across our new schemes.

Recent AchievementsIn partnership with our contractor Cleanscapes, we fitted 11 water butts to our residents’ properties this year. These contractors also use rain water collected at their office to wash their vehicles.

Aspirations for the futureWe will continue to promote the benefits of saving water to our staff and residents. Whenever we can, we will make practical interventions to reduce water consumption.


Manage Water Efficiently

We use ‘zip taps’ in the office

to reduce water consumption

TVHGOOD benchmark

TYPICAL benchmark

16.82

31.60

6.78


HEATING THE OFFICEThe CO2 emissions to heat our office (including water heating) are more than 4 times less than the typical emittions.

REDUCING OUR CARBON FOOTPRINTOur office has considerably lower carbon

emissions when compared to ECON19’s air conditioned office benchmarks. TYPICAL Benchark

GOOD Benchark

0 50 100 150 200


TVH

RESIDENT CONSUMPTIONTVH properties have a higher average

Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) than the UK housing and UK

social housing sectors.UK

housing

51%62.4%

71%

UK social

housing

UK social

housing TVH


Infographics

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Documents

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY · keep warm, and save money by identifying the problem areas in your home and giving you tools to manage your energy efficiently. Aspirations