Drum Housing Association: 2007 Gold Award winner
About Drum
Drum Housing Association, with 4,450 homes in East Hampshire and West Sussex, has notched up a world first by using a solar/ambient heating system in one of its schemes. It was also first to use domestic ground source heat pumps in the county, and in the past year has coupled the solar/ambient heating system with a photo voltaic installation, pointing the way to zero carbon housing.
The award-winning project
Using modern approaches to construction, the association is building new homes with low carbon emissions and reduced running costs and affordable warmth for its customers. All current schemes comfortably reach the EcoHomes ‘very good’ standard.
Drum has improved central heating and insulation in 95% of of its existing homes during the past ten years, targetting the most polluting homes where solid fuel systems are replaced with renewables. The average SAP rating of its stock is 70. Low water demand appliances are fitted in all its new homes and in the refurbishment of existing homes.
The asssociation is developing methods of reducing carbon emissions in existing housing with the Energy Saving Trust through one of a long list of partnerships it has established to deliver its sustainability strategy. Other partners include local authorities, the World Wildlife Fund, housing associations, government agencies, the Hampshire Sustainable Business Partnership, utility companies and the association’s own customers.
The association established and co-ordinates SHREC – the Sustainable Housing Renewable Energy Consortia – which has more than 50 members and works to reduce the costs of renewables through bulk purchasing deals. With Kingston Universtity it has created a Sustainable Asset Management Index, which it uses to gauge and track the sustainability of all its homes. Through its Affordable Warmth Strategy it is targeting technical and benefit advice to tenants living in fuel poverty.
Drum has ‘greened up’ its act, launching office energy and water saving schemes, introducing staff travel to work plans and cutting paper waste by 60%. The Vice Chair of the association is the organisation’s Sustainability Champion, and a full-time Environmental Manager reports to the Chief Executive. Of the association’s 12 Continuous Improvement Groups, which include 60 residents in their membership, one deals solely with sustainable development.
Six hundred relocated slow worms, that owe their survival to the association’s policy of carrying out ecological surveys on all development sites, are testament to what the judges described as Drum’s “commitment to addressing sustainability across all aspects of activities and spheres of influence”.
Further information
Visit Drum's website for further information about the organisation.
