Climate Change: Our Plan

Climate change is currently the greatest threat to humanity and many other species on the planet. Elim’s role in all of this is small however it is important that we make our own contribution towards carbon neutrality.

During 2021 a working group of colleagues and board members have been meeting, listening to experts from outside the organisation and discussing the actions which Elim can and should take. Our Climate Change strategy is not just about what Elim can do alone, it is also a platform for collective action working with partners, commissioners, customers and contractors to extend the impact and efficiency of our actions.

Resident homes are responsible for 15% of the carbon emissions of the UK. This is almost exclusively the use of gas for heating and cooking. By far the largest impact we have as an organisation is the heating of the buildings we own and by far the biggest impact we can have is by reducing the use of gas in our homes. So all new homes built or purchased by Elim will be EPC A or net zero-carbon, and must not have gas as a heating or cooking system.

Elim are also committing to:

• Improving the thermal efficiency of our homes.
• Getting all homes to EPC C by 2030.
• All new homes built or purchased by Elim will have renewable energy on site where possible (e.g. solar panels).
• We will also consider our use of transport, office supplies, IT and waste management services. Using local suppliers and recycled materials where possible.

But how do we evolve our practices?

We will commit to monitor and review our targets throughout the year through action plans and revise where necessary to ensure we are constantly evolving and learning from our actions. As we update our plans we will inform all our customers and stakeholders.