Why Retrofit Should Always be a Win-Win for Housing Providers and Their Residents

Vicky Fordham–Lewis, Managing Director at Osborne’s specialist Property Services business, discusses the many mutually complimentary benefits for housing providers and their residents in adopting carefully considered and engaging Retrofit and EPC Level C programmes.

Retrofitting is cheaper and less disruptive than demolishing and complete rebuild, it takes less time to update than build new stock and there is less waste making it a far more sustainable option for the planet.

Providing lower carbon solutions to energy and heating is combatting climate change, it makes homes cheaper to heat, reducing fuel poverty and adding to the social value in local communities. The adoption of low carbon PV energy also provides opportunities to sell that self-generated energy back to the grid providing new revenue streams.

Housing stock condition is meaningfully improved through these programmes, both extending the lifetime of existing homes and reducing ongoing maintenance costs. Undertaking these modern retrofit improvements makes homes more valuable and the collective housing assets become more attractive to potential funders and investors.

The comprehensive stock condition data accrued through Retrofit and EPC Level C Programmes captures crucial stock information, providing ongoing certainty of 100% safety compliance, 100% of the time.

These benefits alone make a very strong case for Retrofit and EPC Level C programmes. However, when resident benefits are factored in, the case for ramping up and investing in retrofit programmes is indisputable.

The warm and healthy environment created inside a retrofitted home is essential to the physical and mental wellbeing of residents, their homes will be more efficient and cheaper to run.

The resident’s living environment will be improved with balanced heating and ventilation, providing more comfortable and consistent temperatures. Damp ridden homes and the historical risks and problems it creates will be eradicated. The introduction of modern glazing will provide superior sound insulation, creating more private, quieter, and less disruptive living spaces for families.

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 EPC Level C and zero carbon retrofits. And one where both the housing provider and the residents win.

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