Let’s get moving, let’s get scaled up and let’s create a functioning market for retrofit

2021 has to be the year in which we really start to get to grips with the climate emergency. The Covid-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on humankind’s vulnerability, but in turn it has also demonstrated how we can respond when there is an immediate and urgent need.

At a geopolitical level we have COP26 taking place in Glasgow towards the end of the year, and with a new US administration there is hope that this might put some (green) rocket fuel behind the climate agreement. While we keep our fingers crossed for that, work must continue at pace as we aim to achieve net zero carbon targets.

Amidst all the measures that have already been taken by the government to mitigate against the social and economic impact of the pandemic, there were good nods along the way to green policies. These included the Prime Minister’s 10 point green strategy announced in November and the £3bn worth of schemes to help retrofit buildings and the Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund.

There are no single actions that can take us to net zero but by tackling energy efficiency in buildings we can take a big bite out of our target. Buildings – both workplaces and homes – are some of the country’s biggest contributors to carbon emissions. By 2050, only 20% of UK buildings will be new, relying on the other 80% to be retrofitted to achieve the net zero goal. The rub is that on this scale retrofit is not currently within the capacity of the market.

We lead the delivery of the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) Retrofit Accelerator programmes which have now been delivering investment in both homes and workplaces for over a decade. With the learnings we have gained for our involvement, we have long argued for the creation of a market for industrialised retrofit that delivers guaranteed performance based on outcomes including warmth, hot water and the wellbeing of occupiers. This can then be packaged up as an investable proposition, creating a long-term funding mechanism with a contractual agreement to deliver homes and buildings that are energy efficient.

We know the scale of the challenge – some 28 million homes; we understand what delivery will require; and, we also have the commitment of government funding. The onus is now on organisations within the sector to rise to the challenge and take the opportunity in both hands.

So let’s get moving, let’s get scaled up and let’s create a functioning market for retrofit.

Richard McWilliams
Director of sustainability, Turner & Townsend