Retrofit Review

Welcome to the new issue

Hi and welcome to the new issue of Retrofit Review, curated for the UK's retrofit community, by us, Low Carbon Homes. In this issue we look at retrofit in politics and in the news + the views, newly-released reports, local action, events and jobs. We touch on smart buildings >>> insulation >>> retrofit smart tech >>> Tories backing away from Net Zero pledges >>> landlords' challenges >>> retrofit at-scale for Essex... Oh, there's just so much, we'll just let you scroll on down and digest it all for yourself. Read on, retrofitters...

News & Opinion

Government says it won’t ‘impose’ better insulation on homes

The government has said it will not ‘impose’ measures to improve energy efficiency in existing homes as ‘British people are no-nonsense pragmatists who can make [their own] decisions’...

Specialist retrofit survey firm acquired in bid to tackle climate emissions

Energy efficient home improvement company, Eclipse Energy, has added retrofit surveyors and consultants Madison May to its group of companies. The acquisition extends its service offering and creates a turnkey retrofit service across the North of England...

How smart buildings will support the retrofit challenge

How will the intersection of retrofits, smart homes and digitally-transformed building maintenance help the UK to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050? Nik Flytzanis, Head of Supply Chain at Plentific, explains how he predicts granular data on building performance - through smart technology - will help the built environment achieve net-zero goals...

Millions face fuel poverty, energy bosses warn

As many as 4 in 10 people in Britain could fall into fuel poverty in October, energy bosses warned, as they called for more support from the Treasury for vulnerable households...

How can we get the measure of rural fuel poverty?

In a rural context, fuel poverty is often driven by rising fuel prices, an ageing housing stock that is not thermally efficient, a lack of access to natural gas supplies, and/or the costs of delivering fuel to more sparsely populated areas...

E.ON uses drone tech for speedy home assessments to boost energy efficiency

The energy supplier’s drone pilot surveyors are helping assess the suitability of customers’ homes for solar panels, air source heat pumps and insulation...

'Red Wall' Conservative voters will abandon Johnson if he backs down on net zero

Barely two years since Parliament unanimously introduced the world’s first legal commitment to deliver net zero carbon emissions by 2050 - with energy prices rising and cost of living pressures tightening - some on the right wing of politics are trying to overturn that pledge...

Events

Essex retrofit (AM's, 24-26 May 2022)

Anyone involved in housing retrofit at-scale in and around Essex should get this May event in their diaries >>> Essex County Council are host-partnering their first Low Carbon Homes event over the mornings of 24-26 May, to help facilitate knowledge exchange across the county, focusing on retrofit best practice, and its role in supporting local economic development - and the county’s path to net zero. 🆓🎫 via link below...

Residents & Engagement

Energy efficient homes a priority for landlords mitigating inflation

A recent study has found that high inflation is triggering significant change in the way that landlords interact with their tenants, but less so in the types of property they choose to invest in...

EPCs - challenge for landlords with mid- and low-value properties

New data from Savills shows how difficult it will be for typical landlords with mid- to low-value houses and apartments to make them more energy efficient...

Local/Regional Action

Combined authority takes measures to maximise local benefits written into contracts and funding agreements

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is to give greater weight to local social value in its £100m/year major procurements. Under its new social value framework, benefits to the local community will become a more important factor in contract awards, for example training and employment of local people, use of local suppliers or the offer of apprenticeships...

Local authorities’ pivotal role in levelling up through collaborative, value-led procurement

A lot of attention has been given to where housing, transport, jobs and communities sit in levelling up. Less has been said about how pivotal procurement is in enacting long-term change, and distributing funding fairly and consistently across the country...

Bristol community secures funding to build tallest wind turbine in England

A community group in one of the poorest parts of Bristol has met its funding target to build the tallest wind turbine in England, despite a lack of any central government funding for locally owned wind power generation...

Housing association secures £75m sustainability-linked loan from Lloyds Bank

Alliance Homes has secured a £75m sustainability-linked loan from Lloyds Bank which has targets linked to the energy efficiency of its homes...

Reports, Research, Guides

Some retrofitted Irish homes performing below their efficiency rating, Oireachtas told

Some homes in Ireland - retrofitted to a highly efficient A2 standard - are actually performing at a far less efficient C-level, new research has found...

As EDF boosts support for customers to £10m, how to get financial help from other energy suppliers

Customers of E.ON, British Gas, Octopus, Scottish Power, Ovo Energy and even the former Bulb can apply for financial assistance or replacement white goods...

Jobs

Non-Executive Directors (Two Board members) - Cottsway - Oxford HR

Cottsway Housing Association was formed in 2001 and provides over 5,100 homes for rent and shared ownership for over 11,000 customers. Our homes are based in West Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire, and range from flats and bungalows to family homes. 👉🏽 Click the link for details and deadline...

Customer Service Practitioner Apprentice Level 2 at Lendology CIC | Weston College

We are a social enterprise funded by local councils to provide home improvement loans to people who often have nowhere else to turn. We provide funding solutions for a range of homeowners, from individual owner occupiers through to portfolio landlords or empty property owners, ensuring all homeowners have access to affordable finance. 👉🏽 Click the link for details and deadline...

Operations Manager - London SE11 - Retrofit Works

RetrofitWorks is a cooperative working on reducing fuel bills and carbon emissions from homes. We work with local partners who are either retrofit practitioners (SME companies and freelancers offering installation, design, advice and other services), or advocates (community groups and local authorities). We run various fuel poverty alleviation programmes as well as one-stop-shop retrofit services for homeowners. 👉🏽 Click the link for details and deadline...

Media Partner

Renewable Energy Installer

Renewable Energy Installer & Specifier (REI) is the leading information source for professional installers, technology suppliers and service providers in the renewable and microgeneration sector keeping the sector informed through regular, free to access, communications and strong web presence. They're also our media sponsor! - click the link to sign up for their newsletter...

Next issue

🔭 Next issue

Look out for Essex Retrofit Summit programme deets + 🆕 heatpump info campaign + more retrofit news. Meanwhile, thanks for subscribing and reading. Have a great week.