Retrofitting strategies and implementation

Overview

BioRegional can help local authorities and social housing providers tackle inefficient home energy use, through developing strategies to retrofit your housing stock and to increase the uptake of retrofit measures in your local area.

We provide a comprehensive service including:

• ascertaining the worst performing buildings in your existing stock
• establishing the most cost-effective means of retrofitting different types of buildings
• identifying funding mechanisms to pay for retrofitting measures
• advising on delivery mechanisms for retrofitting
• training project managers and construction professionals (managing the process, communicating with residents, installation good practice)
• developing campaigns to encourage householders and businesses to take up retrofit measures
• designing behaviour change programmes for residents.

Case study

Zero Carbon Hackbridge

Funder: Sainsbury’s Family Charitable Trusts

BioRegional and the London Borough of Sutton have an aspiration to make Hackbridge, where BedZED is based, a pilot zero carbon sustainable suburb.  We have secured funding from the Sainsbury’s Family Charitable Trusts to define a zero carbon strategy for the area. This included identifying:

• How many homes and buildings would need to be retrofitted;
• What retrofit measures could be used;
• What the maximum energy and carbon savings could be; 
• How much the retrofitting would cost; and
• Financing mechanisms for the work.

The study then looked at the potential for community energy generation in the area to bridge the gap to zero carbon.  Options include extending a planned district heating system to existing flats using waste heat from a landfill gas site.

Case study

Retrofit for the Future: One Planet Sutton

Funder: Technology Strategy Board

BioRegional in partnership with Parity Projects and the London Borough of Sutton secured funding from the Technology Strategy Board to undertake a very low energy retrofit of a social housing property in Sutton.  We are working with this property alongside another two properties, one that is having Decent Homes works carried out and another house that will act as a control.  

Modelling was carried out to identify the most cost effective energy efficiency measures.  

Energy use in the One Planet House will be reduced by 80% using low embodied energy materials. The retrofit works have already taken place and we are now working with all three sets of residents to help them reduce their energy consumption using a community social marketing led behaviour change programme.  The households will be monitored over two years and the results will inform local and national housing policy.

Only local labour was used on the project.  In order to leave a lasting skills legacy, we ran two different practical training workshops with the retrofit team showing how to install the low energy measures while minimising thermal bridging and reducing air tightness.

Case study

Sustainable Living Workshops and Residential Outreach

Client: London borough of Waltham Forest

BioRegional designed and facilitated sustainable lifestyle workshops with resident associations as part of an initiative to reduce carbon emissions in Waltham Forest.

By designing a fun and interactive workshop package for resident associations, it was possible to help people identify and challenge the barriers to action and then develop their own personal action plans. Monitoring results showed that the actions following the workshop helped households to save an average of 20% on their energy-related carbon emissions. As part of the project, the council and participating resident associations were also provided with a toolkit containing guidance on how to facilitate similar workshops.

Case study

Pay As You Save pilot (2009-2011)

Client: Energy Saving Trust

As part of the Energy Bill legislation being drafted to address how the UK will meet its carbon reduction commitments, in December 2009 the previous Government announced a ‘Pay As You Save’ (PAYS) home energy makeover trial.  Five pilot projects were set up around the country conducted by the Energy Saving Trust (EST) on behalf of the Department for Energy and Climate Change. BioRegional co-ordinated the submission of a successful £1 million consortium bid with Sutton Council and B&Q as the main delivery partner, in November 2009.  The aim of the one year pilot was to test different ways of financing whole house energy retrofit, identify what motivates people to install energy saving measures and the delivery models required to ensure smooth and successful rollout to multiple households.

BioRegional subsequently supported the delivery of the PAYS pilot through submitting monthly reports to the EST and evaluating the pilot both during the project delivery and upon project completion. A public facing evaluation report has now been published by the partners.