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Flagship Group, in partnership with underfloor insulation contractor Q-Bot, has won the ‘Most Innovative Retrofit or Refurbishment Scheme’ award in the 2022 Housing Digital Awards. In the words of the judging panel at the ceremony, "this was an innovative and relatively simple solution to meeting EPC band C with minimum disruption. A project bolstered by good teamwork."

The partnership began in October 2020 as part of Flagship’s drive to improve its homes by making them warmer, better quality and cheaper to run (improving affordability, especially in the light of current energy price rises), and more sustainable. Doing so will also help Flagship reach EPC C ratings on all its homes by 2035.

Q-Bot’s technology represents an innovative solution as part of a shared commitment with Flagship Group to reduce tenant energy bills and increasing fuel affordability in the East of England. It also showcases the drive to reducing the carbon footprint and environmental impact of housing in pursuit of net zero.

Amidst a period of rising fuel costs and fuel poverty in the East of England, the accolade underlines the Group’s continued drive to reduce tenant bills, as well as serving as an instance of the Group’s ‘Profit For Purpose’ directive to reinvest any profit where it’s most needed.

Traditional insulation options can be very costly and disruptive to customers. Q-Bot’s robotic underfloor insulation sends a robot under the floorboards to spray insulation from underneath and saves tenants an average of 16% on their bills.

Andrew Yuill, Director of Strategic Asset Management at Flagship Group, said: “We’ve seen great results in the time we’ve been working with Q-Bot, and it’s brilliant to see the retrofit scheme recognised as something truly innovative.

We’re excited to see where this partnership goes next, and we love being a part of such a pioneering solution to improving our tenants’ homes - it is really important to us that we help to make them warmer and more affordable (especially as energy prices are rising so much), as well as doing what we can to meet the challenge of climate change.”

Leigh Fairbrother, Head of Sales at Q-Bot, said: “It is a pleasure to work with such a forward thinking and dynamic organisation. What has stood out throughout our partnership is the hard work and commitment of Megan, Tabitha, Claire, and the rest of Flagship’s energy team.

We have worked together through a unique set of challenges to achieve reductions in heat demand and energy costs through fast, effective delivery of Q-Bot’s underfloor insulation measures.

It is fantastic to be recognised for a project which provides benefits for both residents and the landlord through the utilisation of innovative technologies.”

Q-Bot’s technology represents an innovative solution for helping reduce energy bills for tenants and to ultimately tackle fuel poverty in the East of England. It is additionally an instance of Flagship Group reinvesting its profits back into where it’s needed the most and underlines the Group’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint in pursuit of net zero.

Q-Bot's mission is to transform the built environment by becoming the global leader in robotic and AI systems that apply materials in order to construct, maintain and upgrade buildings. For more information about Q-Bot’s robotic underfloor insulation visit https://q-bot.co/.