Central Heating Replacement - Welbeck and Bentick Street

Stonewater, working in partnership with our network of funding partners, have taken advantage of recent rules as set out by the Government and regulated by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) to reduce fuel poverty across the UKs housing stock and to deliver a net-zero future for all.

The Fuel Poor Network Extension Scheme (FPNES) was first introduced in April 2016 to support the 20% of UK homes located within the Government's Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). The scheme was delivered by the Gas Distribution Networks (GDNs) and Independent Gas Transporters (IGTs) in partnership with other partner organisations to help cover the costs of connecting off-grid, fuel poor households to the UKs gas network.

The Energy Company Obligation scheme (ECO) was first introduced in 2013 with the Government setting energy suppliers strict targets to support fuel poor households to find more affordable ways to heat their homes.

Both schemes were Government implemented and regulated by OFGEM to ensure that fuel poor households were provided with a real alternative to their existing inefficient heating provision which had previously been restricted to a single source of energy.

Following a programme of stock condition profiling of its housing stock, Stonewater quickly identified those assets that satisfied the strict qualification criteria for each funding scheme. The main objective being to identify all assets within its portfolio that were currently heated by aged and inefficient electric night storage heaters and electrically heated hot water storage systems, in addition to other qualifying measures.

Under existing scheme rules for either one or both funding opportunities, Welbeck and Bentinck Street in Sutton-in -Ashfield was selected as the first scheme to take advantage of this Government backed initiative to achieve these goals.

With 30 fully funded gas connections now installed under IMD rules and ECO3 funding secured for qualifying assets, Stonewater are now looking to implement a programme of First Time Central Heating (FTCH) installations to maximise the amount of financial support currently available thorough each scheme. These systems will include innovative design characteristics to maximise efficiency to further reduce operating costs and carbon emissions.

The above overview supports Stonewater's key strategic sustainability plan to provide its customers with affordable forms of heating to end fuel poverty and to support the Government's future net-zero ambitions.

Additional information: All details relating to this tender exercise can be located through the Delta eSourcing portal, https://www.delta-esourcing.com/ using access code 62E4YJ973A