Net zero and carbon neutrality

As a business, our carbon footprint (the amount of carbon we generate) is around 7,000 tonnes per year. But we have over 8,000 homes in Salford, and collectively they generate around 21,000 tonnes of carbon every year, which we will have to reduce to virtually zero.

The most challenging aspect will be achieving carbon neutrality in all our homes, many of which are older properties, and will require ‘green’ home upgrades and improvement work, such as insulation.

The electricity used to power our homes is only as clean as the energy which generates it, so until the electricity providers switch to greener alternatives, which is expected in the mid to late 2030s, then our homes will not be carbon neutral, and we have no control over this.

What we can do is ensure our homes are as energy efficient as possible and are ready for the transition to a cleaner energy source when the time comes.

It’s a big challenge and won’t be achieved overnight. As an organisation we will need to fundamentally change the way we operate.

With our homes, the first step is to bring all our properties up to EPC ‘C’ by 2030. Then we will be investigating how alternative heating systems and sources of renewable energy could be used in our future home improvement programmes.

We are already using ground source heat pumps at some of our tower blocks and our new Greenhaus development will create highly energy efficient and sustainable homes.

Looking to our business operations, we’ll be looking at various measures like using renewable energy sources for our offices, adopting alternative ways to travel, improving our waste management and recycling, and ensuring that we work with contractors who also have good carbon credentials.