Learning lessons Together: low carbon retrofitting at scale
The new Government has committed to improving millions of existing social houses, many of which languish in the lower half of EPC ratings.
The plan is to target and improve the UK’s most energy inefficient homes to help decarbonise the electrical grid, reduce energy bills and boost the burgeoning green economy.
If we can work together to address supply chain challenges, such as shortages in skilled labour, then I think this a smart move that will deliver significant long-term return for the environment, communities, and business.
However, I know from retrofitting thousands of social homes that it’s a steep learning curve that tests numerous aspects of a landlord’s operational competence.
With this in mind, we’ve worked with Together Housing to compile and share some of the important lessons we have learned from the UK’s biggest social retrofit project.
Jon Schofield, Assistant director of Property (Net Zero), at Together Housing explains:
“We have about 39,000 properties spread across the north of England and our carbon 2021 reduction strategy underpins all our energy efficiency investments.
“We’re committed to removing all 31,000 gas boilers from our homes by 2035, replacing as many as possible with air source heat pumps. We also have an ambitious programme to invest in PV battery systems and install 50 megawatts of solar PV on home roofs by 2030.”
“We’re defiantly ahead of the curve when it comes to decarbonising homes, and we’re now entering the final year of an £11m, four-year programme, installing heat pumps in around 750 properties a year.
“That also includes insulation measures to the fabric of the property such as cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and under-floor insulation, if it’s got a suspended floor.”
Drawing on our experience, both positive and negative, below are some useful lessons and pointers.
Selecting homes: cross referencing data
Although EPC ratings of F, E, & D dictate eligibility for Warmer Homes funding, it is essential that landlords cross-reference these spreadsheets with other available data when deciding which housing stock to retrofit.
Around 20% of homes will fail to meet the criteria for heat pumps, so it’s better to identify those properties upfront.
Investment in intelligence and planning brings better outcomes once the physical retrofit programme begins – saving time and resources and delivering a better return per-property both for the landlord and residents.
Try and consider the specific needs of each household and the potential implications of its circumstances. For instance, homes with recently fitted carpets or flooring may require extra assurances for residents concerned about potential damage.
Together Housing found that offering guarantees to restore flooring or carpets to as good as, or better than new, goes a long way in securing resident support.
Similarly, properties that lack space for essential components like hot water cylinders or external units may present additional challenges.
A thoughtful selection process will help avoid unnecessary disruption and upheaval for residents and improve overall satisfaction.
Engaging a contractor
Installing low-carbon solutions at scale now demands specialist experience and knowledge.
It’s tempting to work with the cheapest quote, but landlords should evaluate and seek value over the lifetime of the installation and ensure any tender process promotes quality and considers future maintenance costs
Opting for the cheapest contractor could compromise quality and reliability in the long run, particularly in the early months, when landlord team leans heavily on the contractor.
For example, RPS Group not only brought technical expertise, but also valuable guidance as Together Housing adapt to new requirements.
Sheridan Boyd, Senior project coordinator at Together Housing explains:
“On a project of this scale, it is about learning lessons quickly and collaborating with the contractor to improve the installations from one home to another.
“RPS’s experience has been hugely valuable in that process, working with Together’s internal teams to make sure we understand the new technologies being installed in homes - how they work and how we will manage them in the future.”
Housing procurement teams should engage with contractors and frameworks as early as possible because the more time a contractor has to formulate tender response, the more accurate the specifications and pricing.
DNO delays
Installing new heat pumps will usually require the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) to upgrade local electrical networks. Unfortunately, DNO timelines are beyond the control of contractor or landlords, and delays can disrupt planned schedules, affecting both resident engagement and installation timelines.
Delays can be frustrating, but Together tried to build flexibility into its project plans and proactively engaged with DNOs to anticipate any potential bottlenecks.
Talk to the DNO as early as possible, set realistic timelines and advise residents of delays.
This can keep projects on track without compromising trust.
Retrofitting homes: the installation process
Heat pumps often require external units, specific spacing, and insulation considerations that directly impact on the resident experience.
It’s vital, therefore, that social landlords properly prepare tenants, particularly in those properties that require a more-involved installation process. This means laying the ground work, such as explaining the practical differences in operation and upkeep.
We’ve found that early engagement and clear communication are critical to helping residents understand change.
Open discussions about how heat pumps will affect heating times, energy use, and overall comfort can go a long way in setting expectations and ensuring a smoother transition.
Street-by-street or ‘pepper-pot’ retrofitting?
Some choose to retrofit homes in close geographical clusters, such as street-by-street, or take a more scattered or ‘pepper-pot’ approach, based on a chosen eligibility criterion. Each approach brings with it different potential challenges and benefits.
Retrofitting whole streets brings obvious logistical advantages and the benefits of property uniformity. However, it can also spark collective resident resistance through word-of-mouth scaremongering.
Neighbours can share misinformation and generate collective discontent both on the ground and via social media.
Conversely, the pepper-pot approach introduces logistical complexities and can make resource management trickier to handle.
In our experience, retrofitting homes in geographical clusters will require a concerted awareness campaign to tackle and dispel misinformation early and throughout, and keep an eye on dedicated anti-retrofit social media campaigns and groups.
Post installation support with remote data access
Finally, once a home installation is complete, remote access to heat pump performance data is proving invaluable to landlord.
Together’s Jon Schofield explains:
“From time-to-time, customers will complain that the cost of heating their property has gone up, so we can remote access heat pump data and see what’s going on.
“We’ll often see instances where tenants are repeatedly switching the system off and on, disrupting the efficiency of the system.
“Data is critical as it allows us to work smarter in terms of how we support customers and maintain the pumps - as well as monitoring how the pumps are being used by the tenants.
“It also allows us to diagnose underperforming systems and decide a course of action, so we don’t need to initially send an engineer, which saves time and resources, and is more convenient for the customers.”
Graham Rothwell is the founder of contractor RPS Group and is part of Greater Manchester Combined Authorities Retrofit Task Force.
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