Warmer homes

Whole house retrofit works

Incommunities 

  • Bradford
  • £2.5m
  • 9 months

Making 230 homes warmer for residents across Bradford

In 2026, Connolly worked with InCommunities to undertake whole house retrofit works to homes across Bradford in West Yorkshire.

The partnership saw 230 houses and bungalows across the BD15 postcode have their EPC ratings upgraded to C to make resident’s homes warmer and more comfortable to live in.

0 % Homes retrofitted to EPC rating C
A residential scene with continuously drifting background clouds, subtle activity from workers and residents, a cat wagging its tail, a stationary Connolly van, and two birds pecking at staggered intervals. Safer Warmer Decent Electrical and rewiring Damp and mould Windows and doors Retrofit Roofing Bathrooms Kitchens Electrical and rewiring Damp and mould Windows and doors Retrofit Roofing Bathrooms Kitchens
Safer Warmer Decent

  1. The brief : Connolly was appointed by InCommunities to undertake SHDF works across 230 properties within the BD15 postcode.
  2. The challenge : Sourcing in-house labour. As Connolly are still quite new in the Yorkshire area, a task was finding trades to complete the works with us rather than bigger, more local businesses.
  3. The solution : Connolly worked alongside InCommunities to find suitable sub-contractors who could carry out the works to PAS2035 and TrustMark requirements.

Our scope of

works included

  • Window and door installations
  • Solar PV installations
  • Ventilation works
  • Loft insulation
  • Cavity wall insulation
  • Door undercuts
  • EWI (External Wall Insulation) rendering
  • Air source heat pump (ASHP) installations

Connolly’s approach

To meet project and funding deadlines and make sure the works created as little disturbance to people’s lives as possible, joiners, window fitters, electricians and heating engineers worked together as one team, carefully coordinating works to reduce the number of visits to minimise resident disturbance.

Supporting delivery, we worked with local supply chain partners Green Improve, Aire Valley and Zero Carbon Group, completing the works on schedule and enabling timely funding applications.

PAS2035 requirements and TrustMark quality standards were followed at assessment, design and coordination stages to achieve a minimum SAP score of 70 and, in turn, an EPC rating of Band C. Through the retrofit works, 100% of properties achieved at least an EPC rating of Band C, making homes warmer and more energy efficient.

While making up to 20 properties warmer per week, our priority was putting people first, minimising disturbance for residents and ensuring they felt supported throughout. Working closely with each household, we offered tailored support where needed, including decanting, help with moving belongings, and respite.

Following completion, homes were left clean and tidy, ready for residents to settle back in to and enjoy once we left.

My experience has been absolutely fantastic. Your team has been wonderful with tenants and providing them with support. I can’t sing your praises enough. We work well together and hopefully will continue to do so for many more projects.

Gemma Lawson
Sustainability Customer Relations Manager
InCommunities

Social value

Championing employability to create regional jobs

Creating employment opportunities for local people is perhaps one of the most important aspects of social value that we do.

As Connolly expands further into Yorkshire to undertake a wide range of property improvement projects, developing home-grown talent is key to delivering the high quality of work that our partners and residents recognise and expect.

Joining forces with InCommunities to address unemployment and create skilled labour, we harnessed employability events, careers events and community volunteering to uncover the best talent for helping us make homes warmer, safer, and decent.

Throughout the summer, members of Team Connolly hosted and attended various recruitment events to promote employment opportunities where people live. We delivered an interactive session with Coleman Training interns to discuss their journey and what makes a placement successful. These events provided valuable insights into how employers, such as Connolly, can better support neurodiverse young people entering the workplace.

We understand that not everybody is comfortable attending events and putting themselves out there. That’s why the Oldham-based Connolly team took the opportunities to the people. With support from our social value manager, fleet manager, and labour manager, the Connolly recruitment event strengthened awareness of Connolly within the area.

£ 0 K * Social value created
*£641,314
0 Regional jobs created
0 Volunteering hours
0 % Return on investment

A process refined over

four decades

  1. Framework mobilisation : Getting resource and infrastructure ready for delivery
  2. Scoping
    and surveys     : Agreeing the scope of works and budgets
  3. Customer care, KPI and social value development : Liaising with residents and measuring community impact
  4. Project mobilisation
    and delivery     : Completing the works to the highest standards

Any questions?

If you have a programme of works that you’d like to discuss or would appreciate a chat about how to achieve more with less (because isn’t that always how it is!), please fire away.

Get in touch

We are happy to help
We are happy to help