Page header

Main menu

Environmental performance data 2008

Energy Consumption - Offices 2005/06 2006/07  2007/08
Hanney Offices - Units (KWh) of gas consumed 56,191   48,772 59078
Hanney Stores - Units (KWh) of gas consumed 193,110   163,756  147,491
Hanney - Units of electricity consumed 63,828   76,040  74,420
Wantage - Units of gas consumed  14,462  13,410   13,835
Wantage - Units of electricity consumed 9,259  6,875  7,460
Abingdon - Units of gas consumed 131,265 72,305  120,227
Abingdon - Units of electricity consumed 142,139   114,293  136,143
       
Energy Consumption - Housing stock 2005/06  2006/07  2007/08
Average Energy rating (SAP) ratings for newly developed properties 

 110

 

125 Homes

 99

 

104 Homes

96.5 (old SAP)

83 (new SAP)*

59 Homes 

Average Energy rating for all properties we own 73   74  75
Number of low-energy light bulbs distributed 734   760  616
Number of gas central heating systems explained to tenants 46   27  4,129 **
Number of electric heating systems explained to tenants

46

 73  124
Number of loft insulation upgrades to 200mm 21   26  32
Number of new/replacement cylinder jackets 7   5  1
Number of properties cavity wall insulated 0   0  0
Number of properties draught proofed  156   149  121
Number of properties double glazed 2   1  54***
       
Number of new central heating systems installed 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08
Full gas central heating installations 17   8  4
Gas heating upgrades    75  51
Full gas heating replacements  181   124  158
Full electric central heating installations 2   1  2
Electric heating upgrades    0  3
Full electric heating replacements 2   1  4
Condensing Boiler installations 187   207  213
       
Staff Transport 2005/06   2006/07 2007/08
Total Mileage of repair fleet vehicles  499,069   498,122  553,630
Average mileage per repair and maintenance job 27.1   26  28.58
Total fuel consumption - fleet vehicles 87,930   91,705  97,160
Average fuel efficiency 5.5   5.4  5.5
Number emissions tests carried out on fleet vehicles 27   30  39
Average number emissions tests per vehicle 0.6   1.6  0.8
Total mileage for staff using own cars 194,228   186,377  193,646
Average mileage per member of staff 1,199   2,193  1,467
       
Tenants' Transport  2005/06   2006/07 2007/08
Number of tenants making personal visits to Abingdon 31,062   30,046  24,581
Number of tenants making personal visits to Wantage 16,722   16,678  16,137
Number of newly built schemes no more than 1/2 mile from local facilities / bus route 117 out of 117  104 out of 104  59 out of 59
Number of telephone calls to Abingdon 56,820   54,311  54,680
Number of telephone calls to Wantage 8,504   7,320  7,995
Number of telephone calls to Hanney  56,820   61,645  62,856
       
Water  2005/06   2006/07 2007/08 
Number of times Thames Water has informed us of water leaks on our property. All of these leaks were repaired immediately (within 14 days deadline) 5   1  8
Number of repairs to external water pipes  49   28  19
Number of renewed water mains 54   57  18
       
Built / Natural Environment 2005/06   2006/07 2007/08 
Number of consultations with tenants  1   1  1
Number of nature conservation designation investigated  0   0  1
Number of habitat surveys carried out 0   0  2
       
Waste 2005/06   2006/07 2007/08 
Number of skips sent to landfill  183   184  170
Cost of waste disposal  £46,549   £13,786  15,325
Approximate number of skips of waste recycled, rather than being land filled 425   438  396
       
Purchasing  2005/06   2006/07 2007/08 
Amount of paper purchased (sheets) - Abingdon  393,000   385,000  347,500
Average per office based member of staff 7,890   7,264  9,144
Amount of paper purchased (sheets) - Wantage  29,500   31,500  30,000
Average per office based member of staff 3,688   3,938  5,000
Amount of paper purchased (sheets) - Hanney 161,000  245,000  190,000
Average per office based member of staff 2,118   8,166  8,260

 

 Units of gas consumed The figures for Abingdon’s gas consumption for 2006/07 were incorrect due to estimated and inaccurate meter readings which accounts for the fall in consumption for that year; levels for 2007/08 are now back to the usual level.  Consumption at the Wantage and Hanney office has remained fairly constant.  The lower consumption level for the Hanney stores in 2007/08 was partly due to problems obtaining parts for the heating units which meant that the stores heating system was down for a few weeks in the winter.
 Units of electricity consumed Electricity consumption has risen at the Abingdon office in 2007/08 but is still below 2004/06 levels.  Consumption at Hanney and Wantage offices has remained fairly constant.
 Energy efficiency ratings (SAP) of our stock SAP ratings measure the energy efficiency of a property from 1 (highly inefficient) to 120 (highly efficient).  The SAP rating of our stock has continued to rise steadily with improved energy efficiency heating systems and other measures that we are able to implement as properties become void.  The only thing that will adversely affect this will be acquisition of properties from other housing associations with poorer SAP ratings – this will include some of the stock taken over from Sovereign Housing Association.
The SAP rating measurement changed in 2007 and is now measured from 1-100.  Therefore the SAP figures for our new properties are shown both in this new measurement and the old measurement, for comparison purposes.  The energy efficiency rating of our new stock has fallen in 2006/07 and 2007/08 due to the installation of electric heating systems in some homes, which were installed as part of Section 106 development sites.  For these sites VHA have little control choice of heating system.

 Energy efficiency improvements 1

The loft insulation for most of our stock was upgraded  by 2002, the remaining upgrades represent odd properties picked up that we couldn’t previously access.  Loft insulation numbers rose in the last two years due to the acquisition of stock from other associations, where insulation was subsequently upgraded.
 The vast majority of our properties are now double glazed.  Additional numbers represent new properties that we have acquired that are not up to our energy efficiency standards; a large block of flats in Brackley had their double glazing upgraded this year.
The numbers of cylinder jackets installed will in time fall to nil as all new heating installations have pre insulated hot-water cylinders.


 Energy efficiency improvements 2 The number of low-energy light bulbs distributed to tenants has risen steadily.  We continue to work with Scottish & Southern Electric to obtain supplies of these and consistently fit two in each void property.  The number of light bulbs therefore fluctuates depending on the number of voids.  The number of properties draught proofed has remained roughly constant.
 Gas heating systems The number of new gas central heating system installations will continue to fall as we complete the programme to install heating to all our properties.  All of our tenants have been offered central heating systems at least three times (which they have the right to refuse) so the only systems being newly installed are when a property where a tenant has refused heating becomes empty.
There is a programme for replacing gas heating systems. All new boilers installed are  condensing boilers which are more energy efficienct.
 Electric heating systems

TNew electric heating installations remain low when compared with the figures for gas heating installations.  Electric heating installations and replacements are only carried out where there is no gas available in the locality.

Last year VHA started trialling a new type of electric boiler which should increase comfort conditions greatly.


 

 Mileage With an increasing housing stock beyond the immediate Vale of White Horse District area,  the mileage covered by our maintenance  vehicles has and will continue to increase as service delivery standards are key to VHA. Mileage for staff using their  own cars will mirror this to a lesser extent.
 Fuel consumption - fleet vehicles Fuel consumption has continued to increase since 2003.  This ties in with when we first started using vans run on LPG.   Although LPG emits 20% less Carbon Dioxide than petrol, it is necessary to fill up the tank more frequently. These findings are calling into question whether LPG does therefore have a net environmental benefit.  A number of our LPG vans are due for replacement this year and it is probable that Vale will revert to more traditional fuels.  We have looked into alternative green fuels such as biodiesel but there are currently problems with a lack of local suppliers. 
 Fleet vehicle emissions tests Emissions tests make sure that our vehicles are not emitting more harmful gases than they should be.  Improvements in efficiency mean that fewer emission tests are now required..We now test the emissions of each of our fleet vehicles every year. Changes in numbers tested over the years are due to their timing in the financial years.
 Staff vehicle mileage Whilst total mileages have increased, the average mileage per staff member has fallen over the year.  Satellite navigation systems which are becoming more widely used may help staff find the shortest route to and between properties.
Total mileage is expected to continue to increase given the expanded stock distributed over a wider area.

 Number of tenants making personal visits The number of tenants making personal visits to our offices has been falling gradually at Wantage and more significantly at Abingdon.   This is explained by the introduction of paypoint cards which were rolled out to all tenants in April 2007.  We have also been encouraging more tenants to pay by direct debit.  These payment methods mean that fewer tenants have been coming to the offices to pay their rent.  
 Number of telephone calls The number of telephone calls to the Abingdon and Hanney offices has remained fairly constant and been rising steadily at Hanney.  This general rising trend at our Property Services Division at Hanney can be explained by the increased number of properties that we take on each year. Higher expectations also come from higher rents and reflect the Association’s greater emphasis on customer service. 
 Built / natural environment The increased number of habitat surveys carried out in 2007/08 is in part to meet the  Sustainable Homes standard. Development projects in future will need to include habitat surveys in order to comply with the new  Sustainable Code Level 3.
At a Nature Conservation Designated site in 2007/08 we relocated Greater Crested Newts to a pond just beyond the site boundary and put up netting to act as a barrier to the newts returning.  This was part of the planning approval conditions on the site.
 Waste disposal This shows that 70% of the material we collected from our properties and estates last year was recycled.

Increased estate inspections by Housing Management are leading to increased volumes  of non-recyclable items such as fridges being identified and collected by our own estate teams, thereby adding to our load of non-recycled waste.
 Cost of skips sent to landfill The cost of skips fell in 2007.  This is because we have decided to record only skips whose contents ends up in landfill rather than the total number of skips sent to Chilton Waste, as Chilton Waste recycle the majority of the waste that they receive from us.  Landfill tax has gone up leading to increased cost of waste in 2007/08.
    Paper purchased (sheets) Our overall paper consumption fell in 2007/08 by 14%.  We therefore met our target of a 10% reduction in paper use.  
All staff now have  printers which have duplex capacity and staff are encouraged to print on both sides of a piece of paper. This has helped reduce our  paper consumption.