EN ERGY E F F ICI ENCY
It’s what happens after the Green
Homes Grant that matters
Russell Smith, director of RetrofitWorks, the not-for-profit co-operative,
established to improve the UK’s existing housing stock in an environmentally
friendly way through Trustmark accredited repairs, maintenance and
improvement works, discusses why joining the retrofit movement for the longer
term is vital for the environment, our homes and our businesses
Im sure this energy efficiency feature will be
jam-packed with contributors putting the
Green Homes Grant under the microscope,
dissecting its pros and cons and debating
its merits and shortfalls, especially when it
comes to the impact on the door and window
sector. As the leading authority on championing
environmentally friendly domestic RMI,
RetrofitWorks will of course be supporting the
Green Homes Grant, but we will be exclusively
working to the higher standard PAS€‚ƒ which
requires the use of an independent, accredited
retrofit co-ordinator who can offer impartial
advice and ensure that works are being done
well. I fully accept we may be alone in this
intention but in our opinion, the co-ordinator
role will be essential to any longer-term success
of any scheme. And I deliberately use the words
‘longer term’ because collectively, we should be
setting our sights beyond April 2021 and what
happens when the Green Homes Grant comes
to an end.
A DROP IN THE OCEAN
The £Œbillion that Government has committed
to spend by the end of March €Ž is a drop in
the ocean of what is actually needed to meet the
carbon reduction targets that have been set. We
need to be moving faster and harder, following a
longer-term strategy to get houses renovated to
mitigate man-made climate change. On the other
hand, the pledge offers a big amount of money
in a short time period, and the supply chain –
already struggling post-lockdown – is not in the
best position to fulfil it.
The government says the scheme could create
up to Ž€€,€€€ jobs, but analysis we’ve carried
out with leading UK think-tanks to tackle retrofit
for the climate crisis, shows we need to create
more than that – up to •€,€€€. More than
short-term cash injections, we need support from
the government to be able to create more jobs,
such as comprehensive training programmes and
independent accreditation schemes to get retrofit
recognised, appreciated and endorsed as the
valuable market sector it is. Here’s the true scale of
the challenge we face to mitigate climate change:
THE FACTS
• The UK has committed to being Net Zero by
€ƒ€ but there is a €% possibility that we
will break the critical temperature threshold of
Ž.ƒoC by €œ.
• • million UK homes will need upgrading to
achieve the legally binding Net Zero target.
• Our homes use ‚ƒ% of all the energy on the
grid and emit €% of the carbon dioxide
emissions that contribute to climate change.
• More than 8€% of existing homes will still
be standing and occupied in €ƒ€; building
ƒ€,€€€ new homes per year only adds Ž%
per year to the stock and reduces domestic
emissions by €.‚%, so simply building new
zero carbon homes will not get us close to the
target.
A PLAN FOR EVERY HOME
This is precisely why we’re working with the
Construction Leadership Council (CLC) to
develop a National Refurbishment Programme,
that we hope Government will adopt from April
€Ž. This would be a practical long-term plan
to follow the Green Homes Grant. Key building
blocks are dedicated leadership, driving a clear
plan to provide genuine expertise to every
homeowner.
This de-risks such a large undertaking and
should gain Treasury support. The heart of the
movement would be an energy efficiency plan for
every home because each house and its journey
is unique. This plan would be navigated with
the support of an impartial retrofit co-ordinator
which we believe are absolutely vital for both the
short-term to deliver the Green Homes Grant,
but also crucially for the longer term National
Retrofit Programme.
RetrofitWorks is currently recruiting
retrofit co-ordinators who will be integral in
helping us deliver the National Refurbishment
Plan. We are looking for people with a
professional background in the surveying or
designing of domestic properties, or those
with supervisory or management roles in
contracting organisations. Email info@
retrofitworks.co.uk if you’re looking for a new
challenge. For more information visit: www.
retrofitworks.co.uk
September www.ggpmag.com
/retrofitworks.co.uk
/retrofitworks.co.uk
/www.ggpmag.com
