Making our homes more energy efficient

We're working to make our homes warmer and cheaper to run.

Some of our homes were built more than 100 years ago when the way we lived was very different to how it is today. As these homes get older we want to make sure that they can still meet your needs, and be safe, warm and comfortable places to live.

We’re doing this by making our homes more sustainable, more energy efficient, and cheaper to run by doing something called ‘retrofit.’

What is retrofit?

Retrofit is about improving your home to make it warmer and more energy efficient. This means finding and fixing areas where heat escapes, adding things like insulation, better heating systems, or even solar panels. These changes can help lower your energy bills and make your home more comfortable.

What sort of work might be done as part of a retrofit project?

Retrofit projects can include a whole range of different measures to improve the energy efficiency of a home.
The sort of things that might get installed, improved, or replaced, are:
• Windows
• Doors
• Cavity wall insulation
• External wall insulation – including cladding
• Loft insulation
• Heating system – including fitting Dimplex Night Storage Heaters
• Heating controls – including fitting controls on radiators, improved thermostats, or remote monitoring systems
• Solar PV panels
• Ventilation - such as installing extractor fans in kitchens and bathrooms..

Why is it important to retrofit homes?

All homes have an energy performance (EPC) rating from A to G. An A rating means that the home is very energy efficient, while a G rating means that it’s not efficient at all.
The Government has said that all social housing homes must have a rating of at least C by 2030. This means that we need to carry out retrofit projects to our least energy efficient homes to make sure that they meet, or exceed, this standard.
Making your home more energy efficient also means that you’ll spend less on your energy bills, and your home will be warmer in winter, and cooler in summer.
It’s good for the planet too, as it cuts the amount of emissions released into the atmosphere, and means that we’re less reliant on unsustainable energy sources (like gas).

How do you choose which homes will have these improvements?

Every home gets an energy performance assessment every 10 years. This tells us how energy efficient it is, and shows us where we might need to make improvements. Every home is given a rating – known as an EPC - from A (very energy efficient) to G (not at all energy efficient).
The Government has said that by 2030 all socially rented homes must have an EPC of C or above. Between now and then, we’ll be looking at all our homes that don’t meet this standard to decide what needs to be done.
If there are several homes close together that all need similar work, then we’ll probably try to do them all at around the same time.

Before we being a retrofit project, we'll do a retrofit assessment. You can find out more about what this involves in this video:

Our retrofit projects

In 2024 we completed out first energy saving retrofit project in Pensford and Compton Dando, fitting 22 homes solar panels, new heating systems, improved insulation and new windows and doors.
The homes had been rated as EPC D, but are now all either EPC A or B, making them among Curo’s most energy-efficient homes.
Thanks to the improvements the amount of carbon emissions from the homes has reduced significantly, by an estimated 96,200kg every year. That’s the equivalent amount of carbon produced by driving around the world more than 10 times, or leaving a 100W lightbulb turned on for 275 years.
The project was funded by a £495,000 grant from the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), with a £105,000 contribution from Curo.

We’re currently working on our second project, improving the energy efficiency of 74 homes around Bath and Bristol.