02 October 2024
Summary: Top RITTERWALD rankings follow investment in District Heat Network and our drive to improve EPC ratings.
MTVH has achieved a sustainability first amongst English HAs by achieving the highest possible Environmental, Social and Governance rankings under the Certified Sustainable Housing Label (CSHL).
The CSHL is a pan-European externally verified accreditation created by consulting company RITTERWALD. It measures housing companies’ sustainability performance and credentials across all three dimensions of ESG and provides rankings against the market.
MTVH has been ranked by RITTERWALD since 2021 and this year improved its performance by securing the highest ranking of ‘Frontrunner’ for the Environmental dimension, up from ‘Ambassador’ in 2023. The Frontrunner rankings for Social and Governance dimensions were maintained.
The clean sweep of top rankings also sets up MTVH for a strong performance against the affordable housing sector’s Sustainability Reporting Standard (SRS), which MTVH is due to publish later this year.
Securing Frontrunner for Environmental performance follows MTVH’s success in the past year in decarbonising its housing stock, and its investments in large scale District Heat Network (DHN) schemes, notably at the 4,000 home Clapham Park regeneration project in London.
In September, the Clapham Park DHN received £3.7m in funding from the Government’s Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) to support the decarbonisation of the existing district heat network serving 569 homes. This is the first step in a plan to connect a further 3,347 homes and 16 commercial customers to a low carbon DHN at Clapham Park by the time the regeneration is completed in 2035. The Clapham Park scheme builds on MTVH’s success with DHNs at our project in West Hendon.
The Frontrunner ranking also reflects MTVH’s progress in improving the energy efficiency of its homes. An additional 1,300 homes were upgraded to EPC C or better in the past year, taking the total of EPC C or better homes to 23,268, representing 78.9% of all properties with certificates. Upgrades such as cavity wall and loft insulation, high retention storage heaters and solar PV panels are not only making homes more energy efficient but also improving warmth and affordability for residents.
Ian Johnston, Chief Financial Officer, MTVH, said: “MTVH is committed to providing people with a decent home and the chance to live well, and doing that in a way that is sustainable and aligns with our 2050 Net Zero target.
We are delighted to have achieved the highest rankings for the Certified Sustainable Housing Label, which is a validation of our sustainability strategy and approach. It also aligns perfectly with our Sustainable Finance Strategy, allowing current and potential lenders to peer review us against the sector more easily to drive more investment into affordable housing in the UK.
The CHSL, aligned with the SRS and other frameworks are improving sustainability measurement and disclosure across the sector, which in turn increases awareness of sustainability good practice.
While we are proud of achieving Frontrunner ranking across all categories, we know that there is more to do, and we are focused on making further progress in partnership with stakeholders across the housing sector.”
Ad Hereijgers, director UK and Sustainability Lead, RITTERWALD Consulting, said: “MTVH achieving Frontrunner status across each of the ESG dimensions with RITTERWALD’s externally verified corporate accreditation sets a new benchmark amongst English housing associations. Since we first started working with MTVH in 2021 we have seen the team evolve its sustainability approach, seek new opportunities and drive through change to now establish itself as a housing provider with leading corporate sustainability performance.”