Wates has scooped a £21 million contract to carry out energy improvement works on behalf of the Royal Borough of Greenwich through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) Wave 2.1, becoming Wates' largest SHDF contract to date.

The programme will see Wates carry out works on 665 properties to upgrade the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of selected housing stock within Royal Greenwich to EPC rating C. This aligns with the Government’s target of achieving EPC C ratings for all social housing by 2030.

Adopting a fabric-first approach, Wates will install external wall insulation, loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and new windows to improve the thermal performance of the dwelling while reducing carbon emissions and reducing resident fuel bills. The retrofit programme is due to be completed by March 2025.


It is the first large-scale programme of works Wates has secured on behalf of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, awarded via the SEC Framework. During negotiations, Wates partnered with providers Constructive Thinking and Energy Specifics to ensure the Royal Borough of Greenwich experiences continuity from negotiations to on-site activities.

James Gregg, Managing Director of the Wates' southern planned maintenance division, commented: "We’re proud to have secured our largest SHDF contract to date, allowing us to expand our presence in London and advance our retrofit provisions as the industry progresses into Wave 2 of the SHDF. This is a fantastic opportunity to improve the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s housing portfolio in line with Government standards for Net Zero and our vision for the future of home decarbonisation. Our experienced housing maintenance team will be working closely with the Royal Borough of Greenwich and its residents throughout the programme to ensure an efficient delivery of retrofit works."