Welcome to the new issue
Hello everyone. How are you doing?
With recent UK Budget announcements beginning to sink in, it's probably fair to say we didn't hear many proclamations coming out to support retrofit and housing decarbonisation. Let's take a look at what others have been saying post-budget about the impacts on housing retrofit. Plus wider news from the retrofit-sphere.
In this issue >> analysis of retrofit facilitation providers report - where's the Ā£360bn needed to decarbonise UK buildings coming from - 'DEEP' consequences for insulation - š green skills training in Oxford - Levenshulme Area-Based Scheme webinar - Cornwall UK heat pump leader - energy costs drive green tech - heat pump 'myth-busting' for Parliament - Labour's Ā£3.4bn commitment for cleaner heat - boiler upgrade scheme funding - solar energy donations trial - UK damp-related illness statistic shame - 0% green loans - electric wallpaper (whaaaat?) - Labour's home insulation pledge worries...
It's a mixed bag. Read on, retrofitters...
š° News & Opinion
Labourās home insulation pledge in doubt, say consumer rights groups | Financial Times
Campaigners welcomed a cash boost of Ā£3.4bn for the governmentās āwarm homesā insulation programme in the Budget but raised concerns over whether Labour would fulfil its previous Ā£13.2bn pledge for energy efficiency over this parliament.Ā The Treasury said chancellor Rachel Reeves would provide more certainty in next yearās new spending round covering the third and fourth years of the parliament in 2026-27 and 2027-28.Ā Reeves on Wednesday announced Ā£3.4bn over three years for household energy efficiency schemes, heat decarbonisation and fuel poverty schemes.Ā
Electric wallpaper to be trialled in Glasgow tenements | Project Scotland
Electric wallpaper will be trialled in 12 Glasgow tenements to evaluate its efficiency as a clean heat source. This project is led by the University of Glasgow, University of Strathclyde, West of Scotland Housing Association, and Glasgow City Council. Scottish homes, some of the oldest and worst-insulated in Europe, lose heat rapidly and mainly use gas central heating, contributing to a high carbon footprint.
Learn more about this - and the scope of Glasgow's retrofit scale-up work over Glasgow's Retrofit Action Week, 8-13 Feb 2025.
Nationwide offers 0% loan for customers to retrofit their homes - What Mortgage
Borrowers with Nationwide mortgages can now take out interest-free green loans of up to Ā£20,000 to make their homes more energy efficient. The lender is offering the 0% Green Additional Borrowing product as an incentive to encourage more homeowners to retrofit their homes and make changes which are better for the environment and reduce energy bills
UK rates of school absence due to damp-related illnesses 80% higher than European average | Left Foot Forward
Over 4.4 million children in Britain are currently growing up in poverty, according to recent data from the Institute of Health Equity (IHE). It is estimated that approximately 1.7 million school days are lost across Europe each year due to illnesses linked to dampness and mould. The rate of school absences among children in the UK is 80 percent higher than the European average.
Octopus trials solar donations to alleviate fuel poverty - UK Fundraising
Octopus Energy has launched a trial that enables customers to donate the value of their excess solar energy to those facing fuel poverty. They dub it āfund-rays-ing solar styleā. Solar power customers of Octopus who take part in the trial will be able to donate 15p to chosen charities for every kilowatt-hour exported. Many homes with solar panels generate more electricity than they use. Energy suppliers tend to allow customers to sell this surplus back to the grid, but Octopus Solar Sharing takes this model further.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme "hits record levels" - Installer Online
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme has hit record levels, with applications reaching 55,095 by the end of September 2024 ā the highest month for applications since the scheme began and 12% higher than in August.Ā Ā The initiative offers homeowners grants of Ā£7,500 to replace a fossil-fuel-powered heating system with a low-carbon alternative. In the recent budget, Labour announced there would be further funding for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme following āthe high demand for the scheme this yearā.
Retrofit Action Week (RAW) 2025
2025 retrofit action campaign train kicks off in Glasgow next February
A week of retrofit-focused events, activities and action for the Glasgow City Region - all confirmed for 8-16 Feb 2025. You'll be surprised how quickly February will come around. Maximising communication while providing the widest range of knowledge-sharing and collaboration opportunities - RAW Glasgow City Region 2025 is created for everyone interested in scaling up retrofit for the region's homes.
Online summit (registrations live and already pouring in) + webinars, Residents 'Open Doors', CPD training, workshops, podcasts, site visits, drop-in sessions, community action days. Glasgow >> Partner. Host. Attend. The choice is yours!
āš½ Government & Policy
Autumn Budget details āinitialā Ā£3.4bn commitment to cleaner heat - Heating and Ventilation News
Broad commitments in the first major spending plans for the Labour Government has outlined what it says are the āinitial stepsā of its Warm Homes Plan. An 'initial' three year commitment to provide an additional Ā£3.4bn to low carbon heat and domestic energy efficiency improvements has been set out in the Autumn Budget. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the funds as representing the first component of the Labour Partyās Warm Homes Plan that was announced in its election manifesto.
Busting heat pump myths at the doors of Parliament - Renewable Energy Installer & Specifier
MPs, peers, councillors, policy officials and others were given the opportunity to āhear, see and feelā a heat pump as part of a myth-busting exercise by the Heat Pump Association (HPA). The association, accompanied by three of its manufacturing members ā Kensa, Panasonic Heating & Cooling Solutions and Ideal Heating ā and supported by the MCS Foundation, took working heat pumps to Westminster to bust myths and raise awareness of the vital technology and its role in decarbonising the UKās heating.
š Residents & Engagement
High energy bills drive UK green tech adoption - Renewable Energy Installer & Specifier
The Eco Expertsā 2024 National Home Energy Survey has highlighted that saving money on energy bills is the leading reason for UK consumers adopting low carbon technology, outpacing environmental concerns. The survey shows an increase in green technology purchases across the UK. Solar panel purchases have risen by 13 percentage points year-on-year, while heat pump sales have increased by 5 percentage points.
š¤© Local/Regional Action
Cornwall leads UK in heat pump installations - Energy Live News
Cornwall has emerged as the countryās leader in heat pump installations, with more than 14,000 homes now using this technology, according to Uswitch. In the South West region, there are nearly 12,000 air source and over 14,000 ground source heat pumps, showing that more than 5% of Cornwallās homes have adopted the technology.
Get involved in the South West region's first Retrofit Action Week, 22-30 March 2025, with the online summit hosted by Retrofit West.
Levenshulme Area Based Scheme: ways of working webinar - Carbon Coop
This webinar brings together a panel of key players from the Levenshulme Area Based (Manchester) scheme to explore their experience of the process to date, now that works are on site. Acting as an intermediary, Carbon Coop have aggregated retrofit professionals and partnered with a social enterprise training/contractor on behalf of participating households, engaging local people through participatory community liaison. They are facilitated a blended finance package, mixing grant and zero percent municipal lending tailored to householder circumstances. This webinar is suitable for anyone with an interest in place-based or area-based approaches to retrofit delivery.
Free places available for businesses and residents on green skills courses | Oxford City Council
Oxford businesses, organisations, and residents are being encouraged to apply for a free space on a green skills course, as part of an initiative to support Oxford on its journey to net zero.
š¬ Reports, Research, Guides
Modulating controls needed to avoid "unintended consequences of insulation" - elemental
A study for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) into the unintended consequences of insulation on heating performance has found that modulating controls are essential to maintaining efficiency after retrofit. The research, part of the DEEP (Demonstration of Energy Efficiency Potential) Retrofit Project at the University of Salfordās Energy House, also recommended better diagnostics for heat pump installation, after its test ASHP was accidentally wrongly installed and the fault not picked up by the unitās diagnostic system.
Research: Property Linked Finance | Green Finance Institute
An estimated investment of Ā£360 billion is needed to decarbonise the UKās commercial and residential buildings by 2050 ā an investment that cannot be met by the public purse alone. Property Linked Finance (PLF) ā an innovative financial solution for both residential and commercial properties that is not currently available in the UK ā offers a vital new mechanism to crowd in private capital and to help achieve the necessary investment into installation of low carbon technologies, energy efficiency and climate resiliency projects in the UK, with the potential to scale globally.Ā Research from the GFI estimates that PLF has the potential to catalyse between Ā£52 billion and Ā£70 billion of private investment into decarbonisation of the residential market across England, Scotland and Wales
Facilitating Retrofit: a comprehensive sectoral analysis | UKGBC
Upgrading the nationās homes is one of the biggest opportunities the UK has to reduce carbon emissions whilst tackling the cost-of-living crisis, energy security and levelling up. This report summarises research into existing Retrofit Facilitation Providers and associated issues.
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