Octavia achieves SHIFT Gold accreditation for the 8th year running

Octavia has achieved a 'Gold' accreditation ‘Gold’ in our yearly SHIFT assessment, for the eighth year in a row. SHIFT is a sustainability standard specifically for the housing sector, which measures how we are doing over 22 environmental criteria, including CO2 emissions, water use, waste generation and response to climate change.  

Achieving this high accreditation for eight years is a recognition of our commitment to sustainability across all areas of the organisation. The assessment measures the sustainability factors of our existing properties, the building of new properties, our offices, operations and maintenance activities.

In their thorough report, SHIFT scores Octavia at 13:06 out of 15 for our effective sustainability strategy, which includes a range of ambitious and smart targets, aimed at making homes warmer and reducing our environmental footprint.  

Over 79% of our homes are rated EPC C or above, with over 98% rated EPC D or above. Given the older age and location of our stock, which are difficult to retrofit, this is a strong score. We are in the process of retrofitting 122 homes with a range of energy efficiency measures, including cavity wall insulation, roof insulation, high heat retention storge heaters and new windows.