We're dedicated to making a meaningful environmental and social impact in everything we do. As we navigate the challenges of the cost-of-living crisis, we also recognise the growing environmental costs of an overburdened planet.
Now more than ever, we must protect our world for future generations.
With 40% of carbon emissions coming from homes, we are committed to creating a healthier, greener future. This means designing eco-friendly homes and reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions from existing ones.
Sustainability at SNG
Climate change is accelerating, and we must all do our part. We're taking steps to make sure our services are more sustainable, to reduce our carbon footprint, and support our customers in saving money, improving their wellbeing and reducing their environmental impact.
We have a clear social and environmental purpose to provide homes that people love over generations. Learn more about our approach to sustainability and social impact.
Every positive change today improves life for future generations. We’re committed to reducing emissions and achieving the UK Government’s net zero carbon target by 2050. You can read more about commitment to building and maintaining good quality homes and better places to live in our Homes and Place Standard.
The animation below is a simple summary of our approach to meeting net zero for our existing homes:
Creating better homes for a healthier, greener future transcript
00:00.2 - 00:08.0
Our planet is heating up and fast.
00:08.3 - 00:13.0
A warming climate increases extreme weather events, like flooding and drought.
00:14.0 - 00:31.5
But there is good news. By designing new environmentally friendly homes and reducing the emission of harmful greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide from existing homes, we can help limit the effect of climate change and reduce how much energy we use.
00:32.6 - 00:48.6
Many of us know about reduce, reuse and recycle. But what's less known is that 40% of all carbon emissions come from the home, either in the carbon used to build them or to heat and live in them.
00:50.7 - 01:02.6
So what does this mean in practice? We must minimise the carbon built into new homes.
By considering materials and equipment which need less maintenance and have a low carbon footprint.
01:03.9 - 01:17.3
Use energy sources that are better for the environment. By phasing out gas boilers for renewable energy sources. Installing solar panels and storing this green electricity in
batteries.
01:18.4 - 01:31.9
And reduce the energy we need to run the home, not just turning off lights and appliances and having showers instead of baths. But by installing better insulation and ventilation and energy efficient heating.
01:33.8 - 01:48.8
That's why SNG is already building to our new sustainable homes and place standard.
And we're improving all our existing homes to the same standard. So that they're warmer healthier and better for you and the future
01:50.1 - 01:57.0
By 2050 all our homes will be environmentally friendly cheaper to run and NetZero carbon.
01:58.1 - 02:06.0
What does this mean for you? You might be in a home that needs some work to make it comfortable and bring it up to a higher standard.
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We'll take a tailored approach to your home like replacing older doors and windows and adding wall and loft insulation to keep in more heat and reduce draughts.
02:17.8 - 02:28.6
We’ll be replacing outdated heating systems and installing smarter technologies like air source heat pumps, solar panels and batteries (reducing energy bills too).
02:28.6 - 02:42.7
Sometimes it's not possible to improve a home in these ways. It might be better to replace homes, so that we can regenerate a whole area instead including supporting residents with rehousing.
02:44.2 - 02:51.5
As well as greener homes, we'll look at creating neighbourhoods, which encourage green transport and provide green spaces.
02:52.6 - 03:01.4
It's an ambitious program and it won't happen overnight. But with your help we'll build a healthier greener future together.
How you can get involved
Tackling climate change is a collective effort. The good news? Even small actions add up to big changes.
Start by calculating your carbon footprint—this helps identify the biggest contributors to climate change, including:
- heating and powering our homes (including the materials used to build them)
- transportation, especially car use
- what we eat
- what we buy
Here are two useful tools to help you measure your carbon footprint:
- WWF footprint calculator
- a simple tool with useful insights - Carbon footprint – a more detailed analysis
Once you know your footprint, check out our tips and resources in the links below to start reducing it.
Your home and travel
Taking action to reduce your emissions at home and with travel will make a big difference – to the environment and your bank balance.
Lifestyle
Food, clothes and furniture all play a part in creating significant waste. Check out our suggestions for where to start with cutting back.
Waste and recycling
Reduce your waste, reuse items and recycle what you can in your area!