You might have seen articles this week on issues with external insulation, such as in The Guardian . Co-founder Jonathan and Community Retrofit Lead Alice think that systemic change is needed to create a meaningful national retrofit programme which fosters a culture of care between installer and customer.

With disappointment, but little surprise, we learn of another government backed retrofit programme gone wrong. Public confidence in work that’s vital to us reaching net zero is dented, the cost to tax payers is millions and homeowners and tenants are left in a desperate situation, with no clear way forward.

Now is the time for the government to recognise that systemic change is needed to create a meaningful national retrofit programme which fosters a culture of care between installer and customer. The findings from the National Audit Office (NAO), that the issues were caused by a ‘weak government oversight and inadequate audit and monitoring’ doesn’t get close to understanding the root cause of the problem and the level of overhaul needed.

Stronger regulatory oversight will help, as recommended by the NAO, but building the capability to deliver large scale retrofit properly is a huge challenge that is going to take time, ambition and sustained commitment to overcome. It’s not going to be fixed in one go and requires a radical approach to housing, health and neighbourhood development. So, to get us heading in the right direction, Ecofit urges future government retrofit programmes to be founded on:

A reimagining of what retrofit is. It’s not just about energy efficiency and lower bills – as important as they are. We need to work towards a vision of retrofit as a core part of our health and care system. We need to see the retrofit challenge as a vehicle for community regeneration, creating local skills and job opportunities, and building community wealth.

Long term certainly. Most government backed retrofit programmes only last a couple of years. This focuses contractors on chasing money in the short term - not delivering quality long term. Government backed retrofit programmes should be funded for at least ten years. This will attract high calibre, local SME builders and give them the assurance to invest in the training and certifications needed – rather that the current system that is attractive to companies wanting to make a fast profit and who know they will be long gone before the music stops. It will also give the public opportunity to build an understanding of why retrofit is so important and have the confidence to have work done in their homes.

Investing in the front end. Retrofit work often goes wrong because it has been poorly planned, with unsuitable measures specified or the risks not properly considered. This can only be avoided by skilled and trained people designing the work. Unfortunately, this is the opposite direction to where the industry is currently heading, with front-end planning seen as a place where costs can be cut, in favour of archetypes and modelling sample properties to find ‘one size fits all’ solutions. It might be a cheaper option in the short term, but as we keep seeing, the long-term costs are huge.

Giving more agency to residents and homeowners. We see so many cases where people know what work their house needs, but they can’t have it done, because the grant doesn’t allow for that particular measure or because they are a tenant with no say in the improvement of their home. Let’s have flexible grant schemes, delivered by knowledgeable, competent people who can make the best decisions ‘on the ground’.

Upskilling at every level: To ensure effective oversight of grant-funded programmes, extensive upskilling is needed within national and local government so they can operate as informed and capable ‘intelligent clients’. Also key is the upskilling of residents and homeowners on what a good retrofit job giving them the confidence and resources to hold builders accountable. In the supply chain, we need more expertise at every level from assessment, planning and design through to installation of retrofit measures. In particular, there is a huge gap in front line supervision and skilled operatives who can deliver work on site to the right quality standards and do justice to the customers they are working with.

In the meantime, Ecofit will keep showcasing alternative ways of working in South Yorkshire – where we manage quality and do right by our communities with our integrated design and installation service. We remain immensely grateful to our customers and partners who are supporting us in this ambition.

* According to the government report “Retrofitting homes for net zero”, 29 million homes need to be retrofitted by 2050, to meet our net zero goals.