Working together to support net zero

How one of northern England’s leading social housing providers partnered with Energy Assets to accelerate decarbonisation while improving resident experience.

Overview

Part of the Together Group, Together Housing is a prominent social housing provider in Northern England, with a portfolio of over 37,000 properties. They’ve set ambitious targets to halve operational carbon emissions by 2030, cut energy waste and road emissions, and generate up to 50 MW of renewable electricity for its housing portfolio.

To support these goals, we’ve delivered a phased metering programme that covers meter exchanges across their communal and shared spaces. We’ve followed that with a property‑level programme that gives residents a choice between a discounted solar linked tariff or their own choice of electricity supplier.

The programme

Phase 1: communal and shared areas

We provided full Meter Operator (MOP) and Data Collector (DC) services to communal supplies across the portfolio, providing reliable half‑hourly (HH) data for accurate and transparent landlord billing. The scope included 1,200 electricity points, 100 gas points, and the connection of 30 pre‑existing commercial solar PV arrays forming part of Together Housing’s renewable infrastructure.

Phase 2: resident choice at property level

All new‑build homes on Together Housing developments are fitted with solar PV giving each resident access to Together Housing’s discounted solar electricity tariff. To enable tariff choice, we’ve fitted each property with two SMETS2 smart meters: one linked to the discounted tariff, and one on a separate supply so residents can select any electricity supplier. This dual‑meter model gives the residents the freedom to choose their own energy choices.

Overcoming operational challenges

Access, timing and scope were key challenges for this project, particularly with two meters required for each property. To overcome this, we upskilled Together Housing’s in‑house engineers for dual‑fuel smart meter installation and exchange from our industry-leading in‑house training centre. Their engineers could work on site immediately when properties were ready to be connected, and our Technical Desk provided live support, auditing and sign‑off throughout the exchange and install process.

Outcomes

This approach streamlines Together Housing’s overall sustainability strategy and provides more flexibility for planning their developments. Smart metering in communal areas allows for more accurate and transparent service charge billing and makes it easier to spot any irregular consumption. At property level, residents gain freedom of their energy supplier choice and greater control over usage and costs. Co‑ordinating works with in‑house engineers also reduced overall road miles and associated emissions because teams were already on site.