Case study — Social Housing
Gloucester City Homes
A full turnkey PAS 2035 retrofit across 48 properties, delivered as part of a successful SHDF consortium bid.
- Gloucester City Homes
- Social Housing
- Gloucester
- £1.5m
- Oct 2023 – May 2025
- 48 properties
Background
During this project, which ran from October 2023 to May 2025, we worked with Gloucester City Homes to deliver a full turnkey retrofit solution in line with PAS 2035 standards. This end-to-end service included all PAS 2035 Retrofit Assessment, Co-ordination, Design, Installation and Monitoring roles for 48 properties.
The contract value was approximately £1.5 million over two years. Gloucester City Homes was part of a successful consortium bid to the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, led by Stroud District Council and including Cheltenham Borough Homes and Two Rivers Housing.
- Assessment
- Design
- Coordination
- Installation
- Evaluation
Delivery approach
To complete this project within the specified timescales, we deployed a blend of directly employed Synergize managers, supervisors and operatives alongside a framework of specialist subcontractors. Recruited specifically for the project from the local area, our Site Manager was based on site throughout the programme.
Due to the project complexity, we coordinated with several external specialists to plan, design and deliver the project, including structural engineers, retrofit specialists and electrical partners.
Challenges & solutions
01 Resident concerns
Regular engagement with residents helped to overcome the challenges of living in properties during major refurbishment works. For example, one resident was concerned about scaffolding affecting light into their flat. We offered and provided seasonal affective disorder lamps for residents to use during the project.
02 Service cables and EWI installation
A significant number of service cables — satellite TV, Openreach, Virgin, lighting — ran up the side of the building, necessitating a solution to contain the cables and future-proof the EWI. Working with our electrical partner, we designed and installed an innovative cable containment system with removable lids, ensuring ease of access and protection for the external render.
03 Solar PV
During surveys we identified that the existing solar PV was in poor condition and struggling to generate up to 85% of its capacity. We provided cost analysis and specifications, enabling GCH to build a business case to replace it, and suggested an innovative anchor point system to save money by removing the need for costly scaffolding during maintenance.
Project success
We met, and in some cases exceeded, all KPIs and targets relating to time, cost and customer satisfaction.
- All dwellings within scope brought to EPC C rating or above
- Local people directly employed during the contract, bringing additional social value
- All KPIs for time, cost and customer satisfaction met or exceeded