Building for the future: Stonewater’s vision for greener, smarter homes

“A lot of my job is about numbers. I look at big numbers on big spreadsheets. But behind those numbers are customers, families, individuals, people. It’s their stories that are important to me.”

Robert Panou is the director of asset strategy at Stonewater, one of the largest social housing providers in the country. But he’s well aware that the assets of his job title mean more than bricks and mortar. “You’ll bump into people who do similar roles to me, and they’ll talk about data and investments. But fundamentally, I look after homes – people’s homes.

“We house and support some of the most vulnerable people in society and I think it’s important to create a space that supports those individuals to thrive.

“When our customers sit down and have their dinner, they deserve to be in warm, comfortable, safe, enjoyable spaces.”

It’s a sentiment that echoes Stonewater’s mission: commitment to safe, affordable housing for people of all ages and backgrounds. Their services range from supported living schemes for older people to refuges for victims of domestic violence and safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community.

Much of Robert and Stonewater’s focus is not just on building and maintaining accommodation, but improving the environments that people live in – inside and out.

Building for the future

Stonewater has 40,000 homes housing more than 93,000 people, and that’s growing every year. Robert says: “It’s all well and good creating schemes that are made up of average quality homes across a site, but I think if you look at our developments, they are of the highest quality that a reasonable amount of money can buy.

“A new Stonewater property is more energy efficient than your typical new build, and that means not just better comfort for the customers, but also lower bills.”

The latest technology is increasingly being utilised. There are solar panels, charging points for electric cars and self-learning systems like Wondrwall, which learns your habits and routines and adapts lighting, heating, hot water and security systems accordingly. Instead of traditional radiators, infrared panels installed on the ceiling heat objects, rather than air that dissipates and escapes.

Laura and her family recently moved to a home in Mendip View, Somerset. She says: “We can see exactly how much we are spending day by day, and over the year we’re definitely not spending as much.

“Wondrwall is an amazing system. I’m not that into tech, but it’s simple to use and I can see so many benefits. I love the heating panels and the fact there aren’t any radiators on the walls. During the winter, when the ceiling heating panels were on, it felt like I was sunbathing.

“The ability to see and track everything on my phone brings our energy use as a family to the forefront of our minds. It makes us conscious of the energy that we’re using, and the cost savings are really noticeable, especially in such difficult times.”

The future-proofing approach

Fixing the housing crisis isn’t only about building more homes. It’s about making existing homes better for the people who already live in them. Stonewater invests in a huge amount of renovation and retrofitting work to ensure those in their homes can live comfortably and safely, while providing the foundations for them to thrive.

Stonewater is upgrading kitchens and bathrooms, often to help customers who have access needs, improving insulation and installing double glazing and low-carbon technologies to reduce bills and carbon footprints.

Peter and Margaret Bradley live in Lodden Way, an over-50s community in Wiltshire. Remarkably, a retrofit of their house, which included installation of an Air Source Heat Pump, halved their energy bills. Margaret says: “Some people aren’t technologically inclined and were worried about change and not being able to control the new systems properly. It’s completely understandable, especially in an older community where we’ve got used to things being a certain way; it’s daunting for many people.

“We had a say in everything, from where the pipes went to the size and placement of the pump and new radiators. You’ve got to keep on top of things, but the benefits far outweigh any disruption. Thanks to the work, we’re saving money and have never been more comfortable.”

The Bradleys’ neighbour Kelly Piper has also seen similar benefits. She adds: “The new heating system has made a huge difference to us. I’ve gone from paying £10-12 per day for heating that didn’t really work to £3, sometimes even less, per day for both heating and hot water.

“The best thing is that the work has improved the damp problems we had in the bungalow, and I haven’t been poorly since the pump went in. Having heating that works has transformed my home and health.”

These are examples of the kind of renovations Robert Panou helps oversee. He explains: “We will spend £121 million investing in and repairing our existing homes. Some to make sure they’re in a good state of repair, fixing leaking taps and the like, but a significant amount of that money is spent on bringing homes up to – or maintaining them at – a modern standard.

“Everything from new kitchens, bathrooms and heating systems, as well as investment in energy efficiency as we maintain our existing homes to the standard of a new one.”

A good home inside and out

A high standard of housing creates a positive ripple effect in someone’s life and in their neighbourhood. Community ties are strengthened, mental wellbeing improves and a person is better placed to deal with whatever challenges they may face.

Robert tells us how the outside space surrounding a house is just as important as the home itself.

“There’s investment in public art and open spaces to help strengthen communities that are more enjoyable and comfortable for our customers. Some of them don’t have a huge amount of disposable income so I think it’s important that the environments we create are places they can enjoy. They can walk out their front door, have nice places to sit, relax, run about and picnic.

“They are better environments to live in, better environments to have a family in, better environments to grow old in.”

Learn more at Stonewater.org