INEFFICIENT electric storage heating is being replaced with modern gas combination boiler systems in more than 700 social rented homes across the Scottish Borders.
Scottish Borders Housing Association (SBHA) has commissioned national contractor PH Jones to carry out the £2.8 million programme, which should take two years to complete.
PH Jones won the contract through a specialist heating services procurement framework designed and managed by PfH Scotland, which provides procurement services to the housing sector.
The framework was launched in October last year and is expected to generate contract work with a cumulative value of around £600 million over four years.
It was set up to help registered social landlords meet their obligations under the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH), under which all social housing in Scotland must, as a minimum, meet Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band D by 2020.
SBHA manages in around 5600 properties throughout the region and the majority of homes now being upgraded do not meet the EESSH.
Many also do not have an active gas supply and the SBHA will be making a further up-front investment to supply gas to these homes.
Henry Coyle, SBHA’s director of customer services, said: “Running over the next two years, PH Jones’ work will make a major contribution towards ensuring that all of our properties comply with the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing by 2020 – as well as delivering an important upgrade to fire safety measures in these homes.”
Jonathan Walker, electrical contract delivery manager at PH Jones, added: “A lot of these homes are to be found in rural locations where access to a reliable gas supply can be challenging.”
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