Walsall Housing Group

Walsall Housing Group (WHG) is a group of non-profit making companies providing good quality, affordable housing for the local communities that make up Walsall. Established in March 2003 as a result of a transfer from Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council following a positive vote by existing tenants, WHG has 20,700 homes located over five local trust areas organised within a group structure, led by Walsall Housing Trust.

What do they do?

WHG is a property owner and landlord, currently working exclusively in Walsall in the West Midlands, and providing affordable social housing, currently solely for rent. The Group manages housing which provides homes for around 20% of residents within the Borough. It has an annual turnover of approximately £52.5m.

WHG project spending £252m on major works and improvements over a seven year period and are currently ahead of forecast on a planned acceleration of the programme.

The Pressure is Rising

Pressure is mounting on housing associations and local authorities with the changes to the Building Regulations and the Government’s ‘Decent Homes Initiative’, which promises to raise the standard of social housing by 2010.

WHG has been onboard with these changes from the start and puts a strong emphasis on energy efficiency within its homes and also its training. Staff are passionate about sustainability and are working proactively to improve the efficiency of homes for its tenants.

Mark Bird, one of Walsall Housing Group’s major works project managers has long been involved in the industry since working his way up as an apprentice plumbing and heating engineer in his youth.

“I manage all major works in the Willenhall trust area of Walsall, I also look after all mechanical specifications and ‘green issues’ for WHG. I’m known as the ‘green anorak’ here because I’m so passionate about improving the efficiency of heating systems for residents. I make sure that I’m fully up to date with Government regulations and technological advances.”

Why Worcester?

Mark explains that WHG are working in partnership with like minded organisation, Worcester, Bosch Group because they share the same aims when it comes to heating solutions for homes:

“Recent installations have been mainly due to a major refurbishment programme prompted by the Government’s changes to Part L1 of the Building Regulations. WHG has prioritized the reduction of fuel poverty as one of its key goals and working with Worcester gives us a real head start, because they supply high quality SEDBUK A rated condensing boilers.

“Since Part L1 hit in April 2005 we have been very proactive with the changeover to energy efficient boilers. We have fitted most of the Greenstar condensing boiler range that Worcester offers because they provide systems to suit all circumstances. At WHG the most cost efficient system for the customer is always installed. It’s an ongoing process, but so far we’re doing well.

“WHG carry out thorough checks for every home so that the most suitable resources are added to meet the requirements of the household.

“Over 1,700 Worcester boilers have been installed in our homes in the past year. We’re committed to reducing fuel poverty, whilst giving our customers the best boilers possible.

“Our partnership with Worcester was a decision that was made after much thought. We considered all angles including training, advice, quality of products, reliability, guarantees and a keen price. Worcester came out on top and the relationship has been very prosperous so far. There is a very good partnering ethos between the two companies.

“We always tend to go for Worcester boilers – they’re tried and tested and we know were not compromising on quality. We’ve fitted a considerable amount of Worcester products and they work well for us. We get a high quality service and the customer care is exceptional.”

Going for Green

The Government’s pledge to reduce harmful carbon emissions 20% by 2010 is a significant challenge for the British public. However, there are so many simple things than can help contribute to this target.

Fitting low energy lightbulbs, unplugging phone chargers when not in use and walking to the shops instead of driving will all make a difference. But the installation of energy efficient and renewable heating products in more homes will make a big difference.

Mark added: “Green issues are very important to any business that wishes to succeed in the modern market. By committing to green issues we can provide better housing for our customers and be a leader in the green revolution. We’re not scared to try new things and see these improvements as essential not as a luxury.

“Helping to prevent climate change is high on the political agenda and therefore it is high on ours. We’re helping to improve the eco-homes rating of our properties, which is adding value to them. Value is important to our customers and our customers are important to us.

Solar

“Looking into new technology and advances in energy efficient products is something we do on a regular basis, with such a big national focus on renewables and sustainability, it is essential that we keep our ear to the ground and investigate how we can take steps to making the most of these advances.

“Our solar pilot scheme is now under way, which is really exciting. We’re using Worcester’s Greenskies solar thermal panels as part of our ‘Hard to Treat’ homes package, which are properties undergoing a full refurbishment. This involves new roofing, new external insulation and new technology, the solar panels will be installed with Greenstar regular or system boilers.”

Mr. and Mrs. Elewell are residents in one of WHG’s ‘Hard to Treat’ homes and are delighted with the results so far. When deciding a course of action for fuel poor households the over-riding consideration must be minimising fuel bills.

Mr. Elewell said: “We’ve had our solar panels a month today and haven’t turned our boiler on once for hot water. Considering the amount of cloudy days we’ve had in September, that’s fantastic. The hot water supply we get is the perfect temperature.”

Mark Bird added: “It’s the perfect opportunity to test out this new technology. At the moment we’re giving it a trial run, but if it’s successful we intend to roll out thermal solar water heating to as many homes as possible.

“There’s huge potential to integrate this type of energy efficient system throughout housing associations across the UK. The savings in hot water are the obvious win, but the environmental advantages are the icing on the cake. If we can make thermal solar panels and further down the line, ground source heat pumps, commonplace in social housing developments we’ll be making a massive impact on the reduction of harmful NOx emissions.

“Solar is undoubtedly a growing area that can only increase. The benefits are fantastic and I‘m sure our pilot scheme will really take off.”

Training

Last year Walsall Housing Group’s training centre in Suffolk Place, Walsall, won four Grade 1’s rated ‘Outstanding’ from the ALI (Adult Learning Inspectorate) for its construction programme, overall effectiveness and for its approach to leadership and management and quality assurance. This achievement has only been matched by a handful of organisations throughout the country.

Mark said: “Our training centre in Suffolk Place was up and running before our transfer from the Metropolitan District Council to WHG, but since the change it has gone from strength to strength.

“Worcester has provided us with a number of boilers from the Greenstar range for us to train with. And we don’t just work with our own engineers, we train partners and apprentices.

“The training centre is very interactive and hands on and we train in all aspects of the building trade, including carpentry and joinery, plumbing, electrical installation and bricklaying.”