Resident Engagement Drives Successful Low Carbon Retrofit

“Do you really need to do all of this? Can’t you just replace my leaky windows?”

“Why are you doing that estate before ours?”

“Will this mean we can’t open the windows and our house will get damp?”

“I’ve heard that heat pumps don’t work.”

“Will all this disruption be worth it – how much will I actually save?”

When it comes to zero carbon retrofit, residents will have plenty of questions. Who’s going to answer them all, and how and when will they do it?

The best time to answer questions like these is immediately, or preferably before they are asked. This is why resident engagement is one of the most important factors in a successful retrofit programme.

One thing we know for sure is that when there are no answers from an official source, somebody fills the gap. Social media has a conspiracy theory for every occasion and a habit of rapidly spreading misleading and negative narratives. Social housing providers embarking on net zero retrofit programmes must stay ahead of the story through effective resident engagement.

What Works for Residents?

Effective engagement is an opportunity to involve residents in co-creating the retrofit solutions that will work best for them. In most cases, this means avoiding piecemeal approaches and combining retrofit actions with other programmes such as kitchen and bathroom upgrades.

Clear communication also ensures that they’ll be fully informed about how to operate their zero carbon home to reduce energy consumption and emissions.

Putting these principles into practice, a typical carbon reduction implementation programme will include the following features:

• A carbon neutral induction programme for resident liaison officers and other customer-facing staff so they can answer questions quickly and from a position of knowledge and consistency.
• Engagement sessions where residents can receive clear information, have their questions answered and feed their priorities into programme delivery.
• Regular checks with residents to ensure their needs are being met at each touch point and interaction.
• A structured handover to ensure residents can operate new systems effectively.

For ideas about how to approach zero carbon retrofit at scale visit our resource centre. Or contact Nick Davidge ([email protected]).