Esh wins £2.5m Gateshead retrofit contract

Esh Construction has been appointed by Gateshead Council to deliver a £2.5 million energy-efficiency programme across 82 homes, combining solar photovoltaic systems, ventilation improvements and insulated roof upgrades within a six-month works programme.

The package covers properties across Penrith Grove, Florence Avenue, Hillside Place, Kells Lane, Causeway, Malton Green and Carlisle Place. Seventy bungalows will receive photovoltaic panels with associated ventilation measures, while 12 flats will have insulated flat roofs installed.

The contract was procured through the NEPO233 Retrofit and Decarbonisation Works framework and forms part of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3 programme. Gateshead Council is using the funding to improve the performance of existing housing while reducing heat loss, energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Before construction, the project team carried out retrofit assessments, updated Energy Performance Certificates and pre-design technical surveys for the individual properties. Esh has appointed Storm Tempest to provide retrofit assessment, design and coordination services, with the measures required to comply with the relevant PAS retrofit standards.

That preparatory work is important on an occupied-housing programme because superficially similar properties can behave differently once their construction, existing insulation, ventilation and previous alterations are examined. Installing generation technology without understanding the building fabric risks treating only part of the energy problem.

The Gateshead programme therefore combines measures according to the needs of each property rather than applying one standard package across all 82 homes. The bungalows receiving solar PV will also receive ventilation improvements, while the flats require roof upgrades intended to cut heat loss through the building envelope.

All properties are expected to reach at least EPC C following completion. Their existing ratings are predominantly D, giving the council a defined performance threshold against which the completed work can be assessed.

The project also demonstrates the difference between domestic retrofit and conventional new-build delivery. Instead of controlling one fenced site, the contractor must coordinate labour, scaffolding, materials and resident access across several neighbourhoods while keeping occupied homes safe and usable.

Resident liaison becomes part of the construction programme rather than an administrative addition. Survey appointments, access for installers, temporary disruption and follow-up inspections have to be coordinated around households, and missed access can disrupt trade sequencing in a way that does not arise on an empty construction site.

The six-month programme adds further pressure to that logistics exercise. Photovoltaic, electrical, ventilation and roofing trades must be sequenced across dispersed addresses, while external work remains exposed to weather conditions as the programme moves through autumn and winter.

Technical coordination matters equally. Changes that improve insulation or airtightness can alter how moisture moves through a dwelling, making ventilation performance important alongside thermal upgrades. PAS 2035 was developed in part to encourage this whole-house approach rather than allowing individual measures to be installed without considering their interaction.

Esh operates as a TrustMark-accredited retrofit contractor and works with a supply chain aligned to PAS 2030, PAS 2035 and Microgeneration Certification Scheme requirements. That creates an evidence trail around assessment, design, installation and coordination that is increasingly important as public retrofit programmes move towards larger portfolios of existing housing.

Gateshead’s programme is representative of the work required across the social-housing sector. Much of the UK’s housing stock that will still be occupied in coming decades has already been built, meaning improvements in energy performance cannot be achieved through new construction alone.

The resulting market consists largely of repeated interventions across occupied properties rather than a small number of exceptionally large sites. Contractors therefore need delivery systems capable of maintaining quality and documentation while moving efficiently between addresses and minimising disruption to residents.

Framework procurement can help councils assemble those programmes without beginning a new tender exercise for every group of properties, but it does not remove the need for property-specific assessment. The commercial value comes from standardising processes where possible while retaining enough design flexibility to respond to differences between homes.

For Gateshead Council, the immediate objective is to move 82 homes from predominantly EPC D ratings to a minimum of EPC C. The more useful long-term measure will be whether the combination of fabric, ventilation and generation improvements performs as designed once the properties return to normal occupation.

That places commissioning, documentation and post-installation checks alongside physical construction as important parts of the contract. A photovoltaic array or insulated roof may be visible evidence of the work, but the programme will ultimately be judged by how consistently the completed homes achieve the intended energy and comfort improvements.