All-in on sustainability: Barrhead Housing

For a new series exploring how social landlords across the UK are taking a holistic approach to sustainability, Lorna Wilson explains how East Renfrewshire landlord Barrhead Housing is committed to building a fair and climate-friendly future. 

Why is sustainability important to your organisation? 

At Barrhead Housing, we’re working actively towards a fairer, greener future. The decisions we’re taking today are supporting our customers here and now, whilst minimising future impacts of the climate crisis on both people and communities. 

Could you provide an overview of your Sustainability Framework, which outlines how you intend to create that fairer, greener future? 

As a social landlord, our primary drivers include reducing poverty and inequality, and this needs to be inextricably linked to achieving net zero. This requires us to be brave and innovative as we adapt and shape our business model and ways of working, ensuring at all times our homes and communities are at the heart of our decision-making. 

On a deeply practical level, our Sustainability Framework sets out how we’re working towards net zero. On a strategic level, our framework is aligned to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. 

How are you working to reduce waste and reduce emissions? 

Internally, we’re monitoring and minimising unnecessary energy use in our office building. We have an app that controls the heating, and other measures have ranged from removing a fridge that wasn't being used, a campaign to remind staff to switch off lights when not in use, along with drastically limiting the use of paper. 

On the customer front, tenants moving into their new home now have the opportunity to keep items left behind by the previous occupant, such as floor coverings, white goods and furniture; or, if they don’t want them, we can offer them to another customer.   

On emissions more specifically, although we don’t have direct control, we’ve raised the issue with our contractors about moving to electric fleets. Encouragingly, most are planning to make the transition. 

We’re developing a demonstrator new-build project called Blackburn Square — this goes beyond the Passivhaus standard, producing more energy than needed and ensuring tenants have very low or no heating bills

Our baseline calculation highlighted transport as having the biggest impact on carbon emissions. This prompted us to launch our ‘Smarter Journeys’ competition. Each month, staff can win a voucher by not only minimising emissions in their personal journeys to, from and within work, but also promoting wellbeing. 

We’re also working with customers and partners to improve local environments through biodiversity and enhancing local green spaces. 

How have you sought to ensure staff are bought in to your sustainability ambitions? 

I chair our Sustainability Champions Group. I felt it was important, as chief executive, to lead from the front and to be seen as a champion of sustainability. All team members were invited to join the group and to develop and oversee the sustainability framework. Expert guest speakers address the group, helping us to build our understanding and knowledge. 

How do you measure the impact of your sustainability efforts?  

We established a baseline calculation of our carbon emissions last year. This included direct emissions, such as gas, electricity and water use in the office and sheltered housing, and indirect emissions, including employees' commutes to and from work. We measure this annually and aim to reduce emissions by five per cent each year. 

We’ve introduced also an environmental impact assessment, enabling our governing board to review the sustainability impacts of proposals before decisions are made. 

What challenges have you experienced during your sustainability journey so far? 

It can at times seem overwhelming. But quick wins, such as reducing office energy use and promoting more environmentally friendly travel, build confidence and momentum. I truly believe my colleagues are passionate about our world and planet. 

Here’s the challenge: customers have told us they want their homes to be comfortable and warm, but are less interested in new, low-carbon heating systems. In response, we’re developing a demonstrator new-build project called Blackburn Square. This goes beyond the Passivhaus standard, producing more energy than needed and ensuring tenants have very low or no heating bills. 

The project will include a community-learning facility, where tenants can come to see and learn about different systems and energy-efficiency features in the sustainable homes of the future. If successful, the Blackburn Square model will be replicated across future housing sites. 

What challenges are you preparing for? 

The biggest challenge is decarbonising older properties. We have a costed plan to retrofit our homes. However, we’ll need funding support to make this happen, and technology is progressing much faster than the support infrastructure we need to implement it. 

We’re including extreme weather in our business continuity plans, but we need to do more to assess risks to our homes from flooding, extreme heat and high winds, and to support customers to prepare for extreme weather events. 

How pleased are you with the progress Barrhead has made so far in becoming a more sustainable organisation? 

We’ve definitely made a good start and have progressed a lot of actions in our sustainability framework. But, in reality, the job will never be done. 

Personally, I’m determined to be a good ancestor. I want future generations to thank us for doing what we can today to protect their homes, places and the planet. 

• Read next: All-in on sustainability: SNG 

Main image: Lorna Wilson, CEO, Barrhead Housing. (Cr: Barrhead Housing)