Housing association commits to electric charge point roll-out

Stonewater has unveiled plans to support the roll out of electric vehicle (EV) charging points and infrastructure, across its new-build and existing housing developments.

The Government recently announced that developers will be required by law to install electric vehicle (EV) charge points in new homes, supermarkets and workplaces. 

The new legislation will also apply to buildings undergoing major renovation.

The Government estimates that up to 145,000 extra charge points will be installed across England each year thanks to these regulations.

Stonewater has already begun installing the infrastructure needed at each car parking space on any new developments. Moving forward this will make it easier for the organisation to fit the charging points as and when they are needed by customers, it said.

Emily Batchford, environmental sustainability officer at Stonewater, explained: “Our commitment to overcoming the challenges facing us to achieve net-zero include not only providing energy- efficient homes that are warm and affordable for our customers but also where possible, support them to live more sustainably.

“Providing EV charging points is a real step- change in delivering on our commitments in this area.”

She continued: “With the upcoming regulation changes, how we best support our customers in the switch to electric cars has been a core focus for various areas of the organisation. This new approach facilitates existing customers to install safe and compliant EV charging points on their driveways as well as outlines our approach to retrofitting the infrastructure in communal car parks.”

An 18-strong working group, drawn from Stonewater’s homes, development and customer experience teams, collaborated on the approach approved by the organisation’s board last month (December 2021).

The housing association, which currently manages around 34,500 homes, is now working on a framework to begin procuring a third-party EV charger provider that can oversee the management and installations across its schemes.

Martin Fox, head of development (north) at Stonewater, explained: “We’re currently leading a significant house-building programme at Stonewater, whereby we’re aiming to build a minimum of 1,500 new homes a year from 2022/23.

“However, providing much needed new homes includes ensuring they are designed to help meet the challenges of the climate crisis.

“Since April last year, we’ve adopted a policy of ensuring any new homes built, where we’re the developer, are done so without fossil fuel heating, to remove all fossil fuel heating from our developments by 2040.

“In addition to how we heat our homes, transport is also one of the biggest contributors to global carbon emissions, with road travel accounting for nearly three-quarters of this total.

“EVs, therefore, have a significant role to play in building a zero-carbon future and this policy goes a long way in making it a more feasible and practical choice for more of our customers, sooner.”

Stonewater manages around 34,500 homes in England for more than 76,000 customers, including affordable properties for general rent, shared ownership and sale, alongside specialist accommodation such as retirement and supported living schemes for older and vulnerable people, domestic abuse refuges, a dedicated LGBTQ+ Safe Space, and young people’s foyers.