A NORTH Wales housing association has been ranked third among UK social housing providers building the most energy-efficient homes.

The ranking, taken from Inside Housing's top 50 Biggest Builder's survey shows that ClwydAlyn outperformed considerably larger landlords with an impressive 102 out of the 149 homes completed in 2022-23 receiving a top band EPC A rating.

The accomplishment demonstrates the housing association's dedication to providing homes where sustainability and energy efficiency are at the forefront, improving comfort and affordability for tenants.

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Homes with an EPC rating of A can mean a reduction of up to half the cost of heating bills when compared to homes with a B rating. The majority of ClwydAlyn's new homes achieving this rating are low-carbon green homes, which while costing significantly more to build, exceed the highest efficiency rating.

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact households, delivering homes that offer substantial energy savings is hugely significant for residents.

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Clare Budden, chief executive at ClwydAlyn said: "We are incredibly proud to have placed third in this ranking, which serves as a recognition of our efforts to build more sustainably and efficiently. While building homes to this efficiency standard requires added investment, ClwydAlyn sees it as an investment in the future, benefitting not only residents during the cost-of-living crisis but also the environment in the face of the climate emergency.

"We know that more and more residents are being severely impacted by rising heating bills, driving fuel poverty, so it is important that we take action to ensure all homes achieve the highest possible efficiency rating to prevent heat loss and reduce fuel costs.

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"We believe that everyone should have access to a good home that they can afford to heat, and making homes as efficient as possible in retaining heat is a huge step in achieving this.

"Sustainable, energy-efficient homes should be core to the housing sector, so we are pleased to be seen as an example of a housing association taking positive steps towards building for the future."

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ClwydAlyn's commitment to creating energy-efficient homes is central to its mission of combatting poverty. By maximising the positive social value created by its homes, it seeks to improve the lives of residents and the communities it serves.

Ahead of Welsh government legislation ensuring all social housing achieves the highest efficiency rating by 2030, ClwydAlyn is currently constructing a further 558 high-efficiency homes and is taking proactive measures to lead the way in improving sustainability in the sector.

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In addition to ensuring high-efficiency ratings for all new buildings, ClwydAlyn invested £5.4million in 2022-23 in energy improvement measures for their current homes, with those residents able to save up to £62.66 per year in energy costs, and buildings measured on the reduction of carbon output.

Recent achievements in boosting the efficiency of its homes include providing 973 homes with upgrades and delivering energy education tools to better inform residents on energy efficiency measures.