Sustainability

Wheatley is leading the way in driving a green agenda and eliminating fuel poverty by investing £100 million on sustainability initiatives.

Our ambitious sustainability targets and a range of other initiatives will help our long-term aims of becoming carbon neutral and eliminating fuel poverty.

Investment totaling £100m from 2021 to 2026 will include:

  • £28m spent on new double/triple glazed windows to make homes more energy-efficient;
  • £10m on external wall insulation to help improve the thermal efficiency of homes and cut fuel bills;
  • and £8m on ‘connected response’, an innovative solution to inefficient and expensive electric heating which has been shown to reduce energy use by up to 30% and cut bills by up to £300 per year.

Wheatley, like all social landlords, is working to improve the energy performance of its homes by 2032, under the Scottish Government’s requirement for Energy Efficiency Standards in Social Housing (EESSH).

The Group will also invest £16m on new innovative technologies to improve energy efficiency as they become available to meet these EESSH targets.

The remaining money will be spent on future heating technology as it too becomes available.

We are also committing to being carbon neutral in our corporate estate by 2026, and to reducing carbon emissions from our homes by at least 4000 tonnes per year.

Wheatley is absolutely committed to creating ‘Greener Homes, Greener Lives’ across Scotland by 2026 – and we want to inspire our staff and the communities we serve to help us meet climate commitments and reduce carbon emissions.

Wheatley already has a strong track record in sustainability and is continually improving the energy-efficiency of its homes by investment work, including external wall insulation, replacement roofs and windows, upgraded heating systems and more.

That investment has meant Wheatley homes perform better than the Scottish average on carbon emission standards. (Scottish average 78kg/m2, Wheatley Group 47kg/m2).

We are increasingly using renewable generation technology such as zero-carbon district heating schemes, air source heat pumps, solar panels, and internal insulation in homes. Wheatley operates 14 district heating schemes in Glasgow, for example, with more than 3345 homes benefiting.

Improving the thermal performance of our homes not only helps us meet carbon targets but helps us tackle fuel poverty and reduce costs for customers too.

In Glasgow, Wheatley Homes Glasgow is retro-fitting 36 Canadian timber homes in Drumchapel, with energy-efficient external wall insulation, triple-glazed windows, and high-efficiency air source heat pumps, solar panels and a heat recovery system.

People in Wheatley communities in Dalmarnock, Ibrox, Broomhill and Shettleston in Glasgow are helping reduce their carbon footprint and saving money thanks to an electric car sharing project.

Meanwhile, in Dumfries, DGHP is delivering a £2.8million decarbonisation and renewable project to more than 100 homes, with battery storage technology, solar panels and air source heat pumps replacing coal heating.

Wheatley’s future plans will include an emphasis on green jobs and apprenticeships – including with Wheatley’s partners City Building (Glasgow) – in renewables and low-carbon alternatives to gas, such as electric and hydrogen heating, as well as more electric vehicles and improved recycling.

Communities will also be asked to bring forward ideas for sustainable projects in their areas.

Wheatley’s commitment to sustainability is already making homes and lives better.

Our investment in greener living will help us tackle fuel poverty and reduce the cost of running a home and our focus on new and emerging technologies will help create green jobs, training and other opportunities for our customers.

In June 2021, Wheatley became the first housing group in Scotland to gain the prestigious Planet Mark accreditation.

The UK’s leading sustainability body hailed Wheatley as ‘a leader in the housing industry’ for its commitment to reducing carbon emissions.