The South East Consortium is seeking net-zero carbon affordable housing solutions in a £2bn contract.
The group of 44 registered providers includes Home Group, Optivo and Southwark Council.
The SEC is seeking a range of options, including carbon reduction assessments, masterplanning, energy efficiency improvements and maintenance and partnerships with organisations.
It says: “The housing sector is under growing pressure to realise a position of net-zero carbon. Our members need a comprehensive framework that provides options suitable to all cases.”
The two-year framework includes specific requirements for ventilation, air source heat pumps and smart heating controls, for both installation and maintenance.
The consortium is inviting tenders until the end of September.
The contract comes as housing associations face huge costs in retrofitting old housing stock to meet the climate change emergency, while also addressing fire safety issues.
Last week, executives from Legal & General’s modular homes division joined forces with the Federation of Master Builders and others calling for urgent action to retrofit some 29m inefficient, leaky homes, or “risk missing” net-zero targets.
The government is yet to publish the Heat and Buildings Strategy, which is expected to include a ban on gas boilers from 2035. The recent Hydrogen Strategy urges a move away from fossil fuels.
The Sixth Carbon Budget sets in law targets to cut emissions. However, with large portfolios and huge costs, many providers are unprepared for the requirements. Experts worry that high costs to retrofit old housing stock could lead to greater social housing sales to the private sector.
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