Choice is again supporting Energy Saving Week, with this year marking 25 years of this initiative in Northern Ireland! Please visit our website during the week to find out more about action we are taking, and for advice and support on how to save energy and reduce costs.
A good place to start when thinking about energy costs is the energy efficiency of homes, or the ‘building fabric’. It is important to keep heat in your home to help maintain comfort and reduce costs.
At Choice we’re continuing to improve our existing homes every year and in the last 3 years have invested over £5million in energy efficiency and carbon reduction, to include fabric improvements, heating and lighting upgrades, and renewable technologies.
Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) indicate how energy efficient a home is, with the average rating in Northern Ireland at around 60 (Band D). Within Choice, our average EPC energy efficiency rating is much higher at almost 77 (High Band C). In the last 3 years Choice reduced our number of homes with lower EPC ratings (Band E & F) from 215 to 67 at present, with no Band G EPC homes. Over 87% of our homes have an EPC rating of Band A-C, with a target to improve this to 92% of homes by 2028.
In 2025 Choice completed the deep retrofit of two of our homes in Greater Belfast, with both achieving an EPC Band A rating. A range of improvements were carried out, to include floor, loft and external wall insulation, reduced draughts, a new ventilation system, an efficient heating system and controls, and a solar PV system to generate free renewable electricity. These homes will be monitored to help to with future decisions on improving our existing homes further.
Choice are also one of the largest builders of new social housing and all of our new homes have achieved an EPC rating of SAP A or B. In 2024 we revised our design requirements for new homes, and focused on further improvements to building fabric, in line with recent changes to building regulations. As outlined in our new Sustainability & Energy Strategy (2025-28) we are also considering opportunities to develop new homes to even higher standards.
