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As the UK prepares for a winter of extraordinary fuel bills, the Government has recommitted to Net Zero. But at the end of last month, the Climate Change Committee published their 2022 Progress Report, a statutory report that provides a comprehensive overview of the UK Government’s progress to date in reducing emissions. This is a pivotal point in the UK’s journey to Net Zero by 2050, and the report made for a sobering read. Commenting on the findings, Lord Deben said: “The UK is a champion in setting climate goals, now we must be world-beaters in delivering them. In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, the country is crying out to end its dependence on volatile fossil fuels. I welcome Government’s restated commitment to Net Zero, but holes must be plugged in strategy urgently. The window to deliver real progress is short. We are eagle-eyed for the promised action.”

It’s true that the UK has one of the most ambitious climate targets of any major economy, so we all recognise the scale of the challenge, but we are simply not moving fast enough. It’s no surprise to us here at RetrofitWorks that the CCC found major failures in delivery programmes to achieve our climate goals.

In addition, the CCC has revamped its framework for monitoring climate change progress with new progress indicators to assess the risks of Net Zero delivery. One of the biggest risks singled out, which could derail net zero progress without policy interventions, is retrofitting our current housing stock to be more energy efficient. We can’t just rely on new build or decarbonising the grid. We need to improve the energy performance of the existing housing stock, which means retrofitting 26 million homes in just under three decades. The sheer scale of this challenge is daunting, but we need to start somewhere, and that somewhere, is here and now.

Perhaps most disappointing, is that policymakers are still not grasping the fact that it’s holistic changes that are vital for any sustainable and impactful change to happen. Retrofitting or building new homes with energy efficient technologies and materials in isolation does not work. What’s the point of putting heat pumps into poorly insulated homes? It’s a vicious circle of creating energy, supplying it and then simply squandering it.

Here at RetrofitWorks we are determined to effect change and are working tirelessly to try to get the right messages in front of the right people through action. We have just launched a new one-stop- shop retrofit service, Your Home Better to cover Greater Manchester which is supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Mayor’s Office and delivered by a consortium of partners led by RetrofitWorks and including RED Co-op, Parity Projects, Lendology, B4Box, SHAP, Q-Bot, Flexitricity, Creative Concern and the University of Salford. We have also been appointed to manage the £40 million planned investment to improve the energy efficiency of Greater London homes, as part of the Mayor of London’s Warmer Homes Programme.

If you missed it, here’s what Sadiq Khan had to say recently about the Warmer Homes Programme.

As energy prices continue to soar and security of supply becomes increasingly volatile, carrying out home energy retrofit can put people in control of their own energy supply. Through our programmes across the UK, we are helping people find the most impactful and cost-effective ways to keep their homes comfortable, energy efficient, and reduce bills in the long run.

We are also looking for contractors, especially builders, retrofit coordinators and retrofit assessors, to join us to help make our services a success. Working on our schemes offers great potential for reliable, long-term business opportunities for like-minded, retrofit focused businesses and individuals.

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