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Tenants Warm Up in North Lynn

Freebridge Community Housing tenants in North Lynn are reporting  a 50% plus cut in heating bills following improvement works to their homes.  One tenant from St Edmundsbury Road said “I have been putting up to £70 a week in the gas meter and now I only put in around £30 per week.    A number of other  residents have reported having to turn down the heating by 10° or more  while those on pre-payment meters have noticed a dramatic reduction in their gas costs.  “The savings we have made on gas are huge, with four children that makes a big difference to us, the house is much warmer and we find we often don’t need the heating on at all.  We are very happy with the new look of the property and have now decided we want to stay here.”

The works are phase 1 of improvements to Freebridge’s non-traditional housing stock.  The houses, know as  Airey homes,  were constructed from pre-cast blocks that offered quick build solutions in the 1950s to housing shortage, but offered little in the way of insulation values.  The improvements, which take around three weeks per property to complete, include the installation of an external wall insulation system which is rendered to provide an efficient thermal insulation with a modern and pleasing look.   Properties have also had new roofs, gutters, fascias, soffits, and new windows and doors installed.  These works are part of Freebridge’s commitment to spend £73 million on improvements to tenants homes, to date over £31 million has been spent.

One resident commented, “It has been a great achievement and was well worth the disruption.  The properties look so much better and the street is much lighter.  The new windows have cut down on drafts and the insulation has meant turning down the heating from 25° to 15°”.  Other tenants praised Freebridge and RG Carter, the contractor undertaking the work. “Although at times it has been noisy with all the drilling and quite disruptive having all this work done, we have been kept informed throughout the process and the contractors have been very good.  We feel very proud of our homes and the difference it has made to the street”.

Andrew Edmonds, Freebridge Project Manager commented that the reduction in heating bills by increasing the insulation of properties has the added benefit of reducing CO2 emissions.

Works to other areas of North Lynn are also being carried out by Freebridge Community Housing by their own Property Services department.  Improvements around Turbus Road and Losinga Road to replace porch canopies, guttering, fascias and soffits is ongoing.  Garages have been improved with new doors and communal pathways have been renewed with tarmac.  Tenants have remarked what a difference the works are making to the look of the area.