Our energy efficiency initiative

In March 2019, we launched a five-home pilot project in Maldon, Essex, working with Energiesprong and ENGIE.

Energiesprong is a ground-breaking Dutch energy efficiency initiative. It aims to create zero-carbon homes that deliver 21°C year-round temperatures in the living room, 40 minutes of hot water a day and clean electricity to run appliances. Lessons learned during the project will help us to identify and understand new ways to improve energy efficiency in our existing homes. 

While the pilot homes selected had a middling energy efficiency rating, they were in an exposed, windswept location which made them expensive to heat. In order to meet Energiesprong’s standards, the homes were fitted with solar panels, energy-efficient roofs and doors, triple glazed windows, insulated shell and floors, air-source heat pumps, battery storage and improved ventilation.

With these newly installed features in place, residents’ energy bills are expected to halve. ENGIE will maintain the homes and guarantee their performance for a 30-year period. 

The project has won several industry awards, including an Energy Efficiency Award 2019 and Housing Essex Excellence Award 2019.

Its impact on energy efficiency in homes has generated widespread interest. If scaled up across Maldon alone in homes of the same type, we could reduce CO₂ emissions by approximately 82,000 tonnes. Retrofitting existing buildings would also allow housing providers to install these features in current housing stock.

Moat are investing in energy efficiency at a critical time. The Government has set a legally binding target to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2050. With households accounting for 18% of the UK’s carbon emissions, our pilot project offers an innovative path to a carbon-neutral future.

The knock-on effect of schemes such as this is tremendous. Use of energy-efficient technology plays an important role in alleviating fuel poverty and lessening the burden on the NHS, which spends £1.4 billion annually on illnesses caused by poor housing conditions.