The Thriving Communities Consortium, comprising seven small and large housing providers, has been awarded almost £31 million to support the modernisation of thousands of homes across the country, saving customers up to £500 on their annual bills.

The consortium, led by Places for People, comprises Accent, Eddystone Housing, Thrive Homes, Papworth Trust, Paradigm, and West Kent Housing Association.

Working together to combine skills, experience, reach, and buying power, the Thriving Communities Consortium aims to act as a ‘force multiplier’ to accelerate efforts to decarbonise and modernise Customers’ homes, delivering retrofit at scale.

Through its work, the group has also committed to creating new jobs and apprenticeship roles and will also be investing in local community charities and groups to drive social value.

The Warm Homes funding allocation will be allocated across the seven organisations, in line with the recommendations set out in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero funding announcement, to make homes across UK more efficient and affordable to run. Works will include heat pump, solar panel, and new double-glazing installation to improve EPC ratings.

The consortium believes that by joining forces they will be able to drive greater value for money and improve more homes for Customers, faster. To ensure the outcomes of the funding are maximised, the group will introduce a decarbonisation procurement framework providing organisations with access to the appropriate skills and materials required to carry out these projects to a high quality. Furthermore, all consortium members have access to free or discounted training through PfP Thrive to upskill their own colleagues in green skills.

Along with sharing the resources from their supply chains, the consortium believes this has the potential to save over £2.1m in investment costs, and over a quarter of a million pounds in training, which will be invested back into the programme.

Chief investment officer for Places for People, Tim Weightman, said: “Too many homes in the UK are old and poorly insulated, and our organisations see the devastating impact this has on our society, from poor health to impacting people’s access to the job market. A quality home is at the heart of a healthy life. It’s why the Thriving Communities Consortium exists. If we want to reduce the strain on our public services and support more people to be economically active, we need to accelerate our efforts to improve, not just the homes, but the lives of people who live in them.

“This funding allows us to make homes warmer and reduce Customers’ energy bills, ensuring that families do not have to choose between heating their homes and other essential needs.

“As a consortium, we will make this grant funding go further. We will create new economic opportunities and through leveraging the support of PfP Thrive, will upskill people in construction and green technologies, building a skilled workforce equipped to tackle future environmental challenges.

“Without collaborations such as the Thriving Communities Consortium we will not meet the UK’s net-zero emissions target, nor will we finally improve the overall quality of UK housing to improve the health and well-being of people.”

“With robust asset data, clear delivery plans, and experienced supply chain partners, we are confident this project will improve homes, customers’ well-being, and deliver wider social value to the communities we serve.

“Not only does this approach deliver the best outcomes; it allows us to collaborate to ensure this vital funding can go further.”

The Thriving Communities Consortium was awarded 54% of the total award from the Government in Wave 3 of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund which will be match funded by the Consortium. The works will start in March with projects anticipated to be completed by Winter 2028.