Residents at Kingmere, a 13-storey high-rise block in Littlehampton can look forward to lower energy bills this winter thanks to the West Sussex Flats Insulation Project which has enabled cavity wall insulation to be installed in their flats.
The two-year project, set up in 2009 by the West Sussex Partnership, was designed not only to offer practical help to residents wishing to insulate their homes but also to provide financial assistance for work that can prove prohibitively expensive for flat owners. Access issues, together with the fact that freeholders, short-hold rental tenants and managing agents as well as long leaseholders all have an interest in a building, often make it difficult to get the go-ahead for making energy efficiency improvements.
At Kingmere, the high cost of access equipment to 13 storeys meant all the residents of the block needed to contribute to costs, despite grant funding for the project. Avalon Abseiling were chosen to carry out the work, which was completed at a total cost of £24,600 – around 60% cheaper than comparative quotes for using scaffolding. It took just over a year to get all 53 residents at Kingmere to agree to the insulation project but according to Jo Brooks, the energy efficiency officer with Arun District council who has been overseeing the project, ultimately not a single leaseholder protested to paying their contribution. Roy Scrivener the Kingmere freeholder, reports that he is delighted with the work. “Being so close to the sea, the 1960s design that protrudes high above the surroundings is very exposed to the elements but residents living in the most exposed top floor flat have already noticed the difference”, he says.
Jo Brooks recommends that leaseholders who are interested in insulating their flats should contact their local authority to see if they have an insulation scheme in place that could help. “Grant funding from utility companies is still available this year which could reduce the costs further, depending on the individual circumstances of each resident,” she says.