ADDING to a bursting CV that demonstrates why it is the UK’s leading housing decarbonisation specialist, Sustainable Building Services (UK) Ltd (SBS) has taken home two accolades from The Retrofit Academy Awards.
Dubbed by many as the ‘Oscars of the decarbonisation sector’, The Retrofit Academy Awards recognise the effort, talent, and commitment to excellence across the industry. SBS has for a second year in a row been named Retrofit Contractor of the Year, as well as securing the win for Best Retrofit Employer award for the first time. Both awards further solidifying its reputation as the leading expert in delivering social change through its actions.
The Retrofit Contractor of the Year award endorses excellence, meeting PAS 2035 principles, consistent delivery of high-quality resident engagement, innovation, high-quality whole house retrofit projects, and providing career pathways within the retrofit sector.
Derek Horrocks, owner and chair at SBS, said: “We’re blown away to win two categories at the decarbonisation sector’s most prestigious awards. To me, it confirms that our approach to retrofit decarbonisation is the recipe for success. Putting people first – both in regard to our own team and the thousands of residents and client homes we’ve worked on in the past year – is key to the delivery of a high-quality service, which is at the heart of our ethos.
“Since last year’s award win, we haven’t rested on our laurels either. Instead, we’ve put almost all members of our team through The Retrofit Academy’s accredited training programmes to further educate and upskill them – seeing us upskill and train every single member of our team.
“Our core goal is to provide some of the most vulnerable in society with a warm, comfortable and healthy home. Through our work, we have achieved this for thousands of families over the past year. Our retrofit decarbonisation measures improve the residents’ health, wellbeing, and finances in one coordinated approach with the changes we see in communities following installation being night and day. These awards are symbolic that we’re doing well, but it by no means we will slow our momentum.”
The Best Retrofit Employer category exists to recognise companies that are leading the way in people investment, skills and professional development. The category focuses on upskilling opportunities and the quality of organisational culture, seeking to recognise not just what has been delivered, but the employee satisfaction in company culture and standards.
Gary Lawson, managing director at SBS, said: “Entering these awards allowed us to really take stock of the huge progress made in skills and training for our team – and wider supply chain – in the past year alone. Along with this award, we achieved Investors in People Silver accreditation, along with upskilling our whole workforce and supporting more subcontractors and partners to achieve retrofit NVQs and qualifications.
“Meanwhile, we have built up our apprenticeship levels to 12% of the business – well above the industry average and with aims to increase this further. We haven’t stopped with our own team and have also provided training opportunities to the wider supply chain through CITB funding and Think Construction.
“It’s a testament to the profound commitment, passion, and high-quality delivery of our team that we have been named Retrofit Contractor of the Year two years in a row. SBS has grown rapidly, and with it the extent of the societal change we’re now able to create. It’s an honour to be at the forefront the mission to solve fuel poverty and the climate crisis, working closely with The Retrofit Academy to inspire the next generation to follow in our footsteps.”
To discover more about Sustainable Building Services (UK) Ltd’s mission to change lives through housing decarbonisation, go to https://www.sustainablebuildinguk.com/
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