Hundreds of council tenants in Swindon are beginning to feel the benefit of a long-term push to make homes warmer, cheaper to run and less reliant on traditional energy.
A £48 million retrofit programme led by Swindon Borough Council is now well under way, with work stretching from 2024 through to 2029. The aim is straightforward: tackle energy loss at its source and bring older housing stock up to modern standards.
The scale is significant. Heat loss through walls, roofs, windows and doors accounts for the bulk of wasted energy in many properties, and the council’s approach has been to address those weak points first.
Across the borough, that has meant new UPVC windows and doors, upgraded roofs, improved insulation and more efficient heating systems. In some cases, solar panels are being added as well—particularly on larger homes where the impact is likely to be greatest.
So far, more than 900 properties have received new windows and doors as part of a £10 million contract nearing completion. Heating upgrades are also progressing, with over 400 modern boilers already installed out of a planned 1,800.
Roofing and insulation works have reached 240 homes to date, with a portion of those also benefiting from solar installations.
There’s a financial logic running alongside the environmental one. The work is funded through the council’s Housing Revenue Account—meaning it draws on rental income rather than general taxation—and is designed to reduce energy bills for tenants at a time when costs remain unpredictable.
Targeted schemes are also beginning to show results. In Park South, a £6 million project covering more than 100 homes is nearing completion, with upgrades including insulation, new windows and solar panels. Early assessments suggest some properties have improved from lower energy ratings to as high as an A grade.
Further work is planned in Stratton and Highworth, backed in part by Government funding through the Warm Homes Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.
There’s also an eye on Swindon’s past as well as its future. A pilot project in Railway Village—home to Victorian cottages originally built for Great Western Railway workers—will test how similar improvements can be made to historic properties without losing their character.
Councillor Janine Howarth, Cabinet Member for Housing, says the focus is on ensuring tenants live in homes that are both comfortable and affordable to heat. Meanwhile, Deputy Leader Emma Bushell links the programme to wider efforts to cut emissions across the borough.
It’s not a quick fix, and much of the work is happening street by street rather than all at once. But taken together, the changes point to a gradual shift—one where older homes are brought up to date, and energy efficiency becomes less of an aspiration and more of a baseline.
