Building for the future

A sustainable future

Our mission is to build properties that are sustainable, affordable and secure, helping local people to find a home that is right for you.

We’re working hard to ensure our homes, both new and existing, are better for the environment and are more efficient for you to run. To do this we are:

Continuing to maintain and invest in our current homes, reviewing the quality of our properties against the latest industry technology, and making improvements to increase energy efficiency.
Reducing the carbon emissions needed to run your home, reducing the need for energy consumption through better building design and installing renewable energy in place wherever possible.

A climate emergency

In July 2019, Manchester declared a climate emergency and set an objective for the city to be carbon zero by 2038. This is 12 years before the UK-wide 2050 target and will require emissions to be reduced by 13% every year until 2038. At One Manchester, we fully support this objective and are committed to developing sustainable homes as part of the objective. You can find out more about how we’re doing this below.

Reduced the need for energy through better building design

We’re increasing the insulation levels and airtightness of our new homes to stop heat and energy escaping from the homes. This also means we have to include different ventilation systems, such as mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, to ensure our homes are comfortable to live in.

Reduced carbon emissions in the build process

We’re adopting Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) on our latest developments, which includes using structurally insulated panels which help reduce the build time significantly. We’re also working to ensure the materials we use have a low carbon content, including using timber for the frames rather than blocks.

Put renewable energy in place wherever possible

On some of our developments, we’ve installed renewable energy sources such as air source heat pumps to replace the need for fossil fuels. Moving forward, all our new properties will have a mix of renewable heating and electric systems installed instead of gas. We’re also retrofitting many of our older homes to improve the environmental impact of their heating systems.