Retrofit Review

Welcome to the new issue

Hi everyone ❄☃🥶

Grab your jumpers! Temperatures have plummeted recently and whilst it's been fun to build a snowman before the school/work day (or perhaps you've had an unofficial 'Snow Day'), it also means cold, uncomfortable, draughty, damp homes, health issues and higher bills for many people. Not fun. We all know good retrofit can fix this and drastically reduce carbon emissions from UK housing. Let's keep banging the retrofit drum 🥁. Lots of good work being done out there - let's tell you about some of it.

In this issue >> measuring the right things for good retrofit - Irish couple's retrofit case study 📈 - £8m booster for SW homes & green economy - Birmingham gets 'retrofit ready' - new NW Wales decarbonisation hub - Sheffield and Burnley resident support pilots - Cumbrian retrofit tech 'showhome' resident's lived experience - report highlights gap between trained and active installers - UK gov't consults on ECO4 changes - building repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) figures - Scottish retrofit programme relaunch - Warm Homes grant deadline approach + Retrofit Action Week (RAW) 2025 campaign info.

Keep warm. Read on, retrofitters...

📰 News & Opinion

Support With Your Rural Domestic Retrofit Plans - Rural Services Network

There are now less than two weeks left before Warm Homes: Local Grant Expressions of Interest must be submitted (deadline of 1 December 2024). Retrofit Support, Information and Expertise (RISE) is increasing its support to rural local authorities, helping them to plan energy performance upgrades to those low-income households that need the most support, and to access the funding available through the Warm Homes schemes.

Retrofit programme relaunched to scale neighbour retrofit delivery - Scottish Business News

Retrofit Scotland was recently relaunched at the International Retrofit Conference. Delivered by Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST), the programme aims to tackle two urgent challenges: reducing carbon emissions and improving the quality of housing across Scotland to make neighbourhoods warmer, healthier, and more energy-efficient.

If you are involved with Glasgow regional retrofit in any way, shape or form, join us for Glasgow City Region's Retrofit Action Week, (8-16 Feb 2025) for a week of events and activities. Partner. Host. Attend. Everyone's invited!

Fall in RMI building work reflects consumer unease, say FMB

The 0.6% fall in repair maintenance and improvement work within the building industry in the third quarter of 2024, according to newly released figures from the Office of National Statistics , reflects growing consumer unease, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

✍🏽 Government & Policy

Energy Company Obligation 4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme: mid-scheme changes - GOV.UK

Consultation: Government seeking views on: - mid-scheme updates to the current Energy Company Obligation scheme (ECO4) and Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS); - the introduction to both schemes of a voluntary Pay-For-Performance mechanism (PFP). PFP would reward participating suppliers for delivering retrofits with additional monitoring, thereby driving higher quality retrofits.

👷🏽‍♀️👷🏽‍♂️ Skills and Training

New HPA report reveals gap between ‘trained’ and ‘active’ heat pump installers - Renewable Energy Installer & Specifier

The report considers future demand for domestic heat pumps, current training rates and factors which might limit the workforce growth.

🏠 Residents & Engagement

Showhome in Cumbria highlights importance of retrofitting | Times and Star

The two-bedroomed social housing property in Abbeytown, Allerdale, is filled with technology and information to show how retrofitting can benefit homes and the environment. The showhome is one of 90 previously poorly performing homes in Abbeytown and Oughterside that have been transformed into some of the most environmentally friendly and efficient homes in the UK.

🤩 Local/Regional Action

New community retrofit hubs to help households cut energy bills and stay warm - Energy Live News

Communities in Sheffield and Burnley are set to benefit from a new community retrofit project aimed at helping households improve energy efficiency and reduce bills. Led by fuel poverty charity National Energy Action (NEA) and funded by Skipton Building Society, this pilot project will establish local energy action teams to support low income residents with practical solutions to make their homes warmer and healthier.

'First of its kind' decarbonisation hub opens in Wales

Ken Skates MS, the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for the Economy and north Wales, officially opened Tŷ Gwyrddfai in Penygroes this week, a collaborative project between Adra, Grŵp Llandrillo Menai and Bangor University. The former hygiene products factory has been transformed over the past two years into a decarbonisation hub that will ensure that north-west Wales is at the forefront of the decarbonisation agenda, working with communities and businesses to retrofit homes over the coming years.

Call for local businesses to help get Birmingham 'retrofit ready' | Birmingham City Council

Birmingham City Council is encouraging local businesses to find out more about retrofitting and how they can benefit from being involved in carrying out energy improvements to homes across the city. It is estimated that around 270,000 homes require retrofitting in Birmingham alone. For this reason, the council is looking to grow existing supply chains and the people, skills and organisations needed to deliver the work.

Retrofit Action Week (RAW) West Midlands, 10-18 May 2025. Get more info

More than £8m to be spent on South West housing projects - devolution deal boosts retrofit programme | Insider Media

A multimillion-pound cash injection to provide more affordable homes, sheltered accommodation, green jobs and business growth in Devon and Torbay has been confirmed by Government. Housing projects in Exeter, East, North, Mid and West Devon, the South Hams and Torbay will have more than £8m spent on them.

The South West region hosts its first Retrofit Action Week (RAW) 22-30 March 2025, with the online summit hosted by Retrofit West. Partner. Contribute. Attend. Everyone's invited.

🌍 International

Daniel and Sandra Davey reap rewards of the One Shop Stop Retrofit | Irish Examiner

Ireland: The couple appeared on RTÉ’s Room to Improve in January 2024 and completely retrofitted their home with SEAI’s One Stop Shop service. Originally, the couple wanted to remodel their kitchen and fix a leaking conservatory which was making the house cold and damp. However, when it was suggested to them to consider improving their home’s BER from its D rating to a more efficient A rating, it seemed like a no-brainer because of the long-term benefits they would gain.

💬 Reports, Research, Guides

Are we measuring the right things? - elemental

The Delivery Approaches: State of the Nation Review by the National Retrofit Hub (NRH) has provided an essential overview of the current state of retrofit delivery in the UK. The review has allowed us to assess how various schemes and delivery models are helping to meet decarbonisation and fuel poverty targets and to identify key challenges in the process. One of the most important insights emerging from this review is a question that should shape the future of retrofit work: Are we measuring the right things?

Next issue

That's it for this issue

Hope you have enjoyed catching up on recent news and good works around the UK. Remember, you can showcase your work/news/jobs/training/action in this newsletter. Ask us - it's quick and easy to set up. We love to share and promote retrofit-related activities going on out there.

Thanks for reading. Keep warm.

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