Retrofit Programmes Will Have to be Both Collaborative and Imaginative

Vicky Fordham-Lewis, Managing Director of Osborne Property Services, shares her observations of how Retrofit programmes will have to be both collaborative and imaginative and draw on the expertise of diverse partners and specialists.

The scale of the task to retrofit over five million social homes to achieve zero carbon status is hard to grasp. Once you start diving into the details of issues and potential solutions, what you see is enormous complexity: technical, operational, logistical, and financial.

Vicky’s team is already working on two retrofit programmes. The experiences and learning on these programmes have highlighted just how much successful zero carbon retrofit is a multifaceted problem and calls for equally multifaceted solutions. Collaboration with the right specialist partners is crucial as is the importance of imagination as our early retrofit pioneers’ dive deeper into the level of detail and care needed in solution development and avoiding the potential hazards.

A large property portfolio will include homes of different types, built in different decades and in very different ways. Solutions must always be cost effective, and, in some cases, decisions will be based on what is physically possible. When identical looking homes were built, a few centimetres variation in a wall height or length wouldn’t have mattered very much. But when it comes to retrofitting insulating panels, those few centimetres can make all the difference. Each property, even in an identical looking terrace, is a bespoke case. This is an important consideration when planning how to assess properties and implement solutions.

Costs and timing need to be closely controlled. This means following advanced manufacturing-style processes as much as possible. Being able to optimise processes and adopt modular solutions (for example easily installed combined heat pump, PV inverter and hot water tank units) will save significant costs over large numbers of properties.

Neither the supply chains nor the skills to deliver a national retrofit programme currently exist. Early engagement and secured long-term work pipelines will be essential in building the capacity needed. This is probably the most significant weakness of piecemeal approaches. With proper coordination it will be possible not just to build supply chains but also to deliver significant social value through investing in local economies, skills, and employment.

Housing residents will be greatly affected. Although there are significant benefits on offer in terms of lower bills and warmer homes, many people are resistant to change. The task of engaging residents and ensuring that they have a meaningful voice is a significant project in its own right.  As a customer centric business recognising the likely impact to residents, Osborne Property Services have taken a pro-active approach to consult with resident boards. Through this collaborative co-design exercise, learning is integrated into the programme ensuring that residents thoughts and feelings will be considered every step through the journey.

With a challenge of this scale, perhaps the only thing you can say with confidence is that successful solutions will be collaborative. Social housing providers, property services partners and retrofit specialists need to work closely together to deliver optimised solutions at scale. To offer a fully integrated service to social housing providers, Osborne Property Services Limited has established strategic partnerships with specialists and supply chain partners to address the zero-carbon retrofit challenge. We can offer housing providers a complete service including assessment, planning, delivery, and monitoring. We believe this is an important step forward in delivering a structured approach to zero carbon retrofits.

We are here to help and be your guide. For more information visit Osborne Retrofit Resource Centre or contact Nick Davidge [email protected].