Multi-million pound rollout of energy-efficient measures to council homes progresses

Aligned with the Council’s missions to Build a Greener and Better Swindon, as well as the Council’s housing improvement plan and decarbonisation framework finalised last December, improvement work began in 2024 and currently runs to 2029.

With as much as 75 per cent of a building’s energy lost through its walls, roof, floors, windows and doors, the retrofit programme includes a range of measures such as UPVC window and door upgrades, roof replacements, and improvements to gas central heating systems. Solar panels are also being installed on replacement roofs of some three‑bedroom‑plus properties.

To deliver the improvements, the Council has appointed a number of contractors to deliver different elements of the work.

Windows and doors: The Council is in the final year of a three‑year, £10m contract to install A+ rated energy‑efficient windows and doors across 1,200 tenant homes. So far, 936 properties have received new UPVC doors and double‑ or triple‑glazed windows.

Heating upgrades: Around 1,800 homes will receive modern energy‑efficient A+ rated condensing boilers under a five‑year, £10m contract that began in 2024. To date, 412 boilers have been installed.

Roof replacements and insulation: A separate £7.5m contract has delivered new roofs and insulation upgrades to 240 homes so far, with 30 of these properties also receiving solar panels.

All improvements are being delivered at no direct cost to council taxpayers. They are funded through the Council’s ring‑fenced Housing Revenue Account (HRA), which holds rental income that can only be used to improve and maintain council‑owned homes.

Meanwhile two other targeted investment projects will bring over 200 homes up to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C or better, improving on current ratings of D or below. Firstly, a £6m improvement scheme for 114 homes in Park South that began in 2024 is due to finish by the end of this month.

These properties have each received solar panels, replacement UPVC windows, new doors and external wall insulation, alongside draught proofing to minimise heat loss. These measures are making homes easier and more cost-effective to heat throughout the year. The project has been part funded by £1.4m from the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.

Following the completion of the work, a select few properties received further surveys which show an improved EPC rating of A.

In November, the Council also announced it had been awarded £882,000 from the Government’s Warm Homes Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to support further energy‑efficiency upgrades to 104 homes in Stratton and Highworth, with the Council contributing approximately £5.7m from the HRA. The Council will be commissioning a contractor to complete the work and finalising delivery timescales later this year.

The Council is also currently commissioning a project to undertake energy efficiency improvements to a pilot property in the Railway Village, to inform a wider rollout. Earlier this year the Council’s planning department granted approval for the Council’s Housing team to retrofit new doors, windows, roofs and make other improvements to the Victorian cottages in the Railway Village - built by and for the workers of the Great Western Railway in the 19th Century.

Councillor Janine Howarth, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “It is great to see the progress that has been made with this significant investment programme in improving the energy‑efficiency of hundreds of tenants'. All tenants deserve to live in a warm and comfortable home, and these improvements support that, while also reducing energy bills at a time when prices can be volatile. Where feasible, we are installing solar panels on some properties so tenants benefit from renewable energy and reduced exposure to fluctuating energy prices.”

Councillor Emma Bushell, Deputy Leader of the Council and Ambassador for the Greener Swindon mission, said: “Last December the Council finalised a new decarbonisation framework to guide actions to reduce the Borough’s greenhouse gas emissions and enhance Swindon residents' quality of life.

“Improving the energy efficiency of hundreds of council-owned homes is a key part of that.”