Collaborating with Bangor University

We and Bangor University have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop skills and research to decarbonise housing.

We at Adra are eager to work with our partners. The agreement sees Bangor University become a key partner in our Decarbonisation Hub, which was established in 2021 with our key partners, building materials company Travis Perkins and Grŵp Llandrillo Menai. The hub has been supported by the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund and the Welsh Government’s Town Transformation Fund.

The Decarbonisation Hub will act as a facility to innovate, provide skills training and develop and test new materials and how they could be used to support decarbonisation. We welcome collaboration with partners and this is a great opportunity for us and Bangor University to work together.

When signing the Memorandum of Understanding at the site in Penygroes, Professor Edmund Burke, Vice-Chancellor of Bangor University, said:

“As we try to secure a cleaner and greener future, Bangor University is very proud to work with the largest housing association in North Wales to develop the technology, innovation and skills necessary for us to really move forward on the decarbonisation agenda -this is so important to the region, and in terms of the sustainability of the planet in the future.”
Professor Paul Spencer, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, added:

“Sustainability is at the heart of our strategy and Adra’s vision in terms of upskilling the local workforce and using innovative ideas to decarbonise the housing stock and building materials intersects with our vision.

“For example, our researchers are investigating optical sensing for a range of environmental monitoring, either through incorporation into existing data cables or through smart panels. We are also testing materials for their insulating capacity to reduce the carbon footprint, and developments are also being made in terms of more efficient energy storage as well as building materials such as geo-polymers that use slate waste to recycle. The Decarbonisation Hub has the potential to allow development work, field trials and testing of innovative technologies and materials such as these in “real” residential environments.

We at Adra have 6,800 homes that we provide and 15,000 local customers.

Iwan Trefor Jones, our Deputy Chief Executive here at Adra, said:

“We are proud to be working with partners such as Bangor University to see what is possible in terms of providing skills and opportunities for local people and businesses.
“A strong partnership is developing with key organisations to achieve our ambition to decarbonise homes in the area, which is so important in tackling fuel poverty and boosting the local economy.

“Our Decarbonisation Hub is the first of its kind in Wales and we are excited to be leading such an innovative project which will have such a positive impact on our communities.”