海角黑料

Raising the Temperature of Warm Homes Delivery

Last month the 海角黑料 hosted the Raising the Temperature of Warm Homes Delivery symposium at the Jubilee Conference Centre, bringing together policymakers, housing providers, researchers and industry practitioners to discuss how the UK can accelerate progress on warm, low-carbon homes. Held in the context of the government’s recently announced £15 billion Warm Homes Plan, the event explored both the opportunities and the persistent barriers facing large-scale housing retrofit.

Opening the session, Michael Gallagher from the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) highlighted the region’s shifting energy landscape. Once a coal-powered regional powerhouse, the East Midlands has decarbonised around 20% of its energy system since 2010. However, he emphasised that there is no single technological “silver bullet” for decarbonisation.

The scale of the challenge was further explored by Nick Murphy, Vice Chair of Tuntum Housing Association and Chair of P3 Housing in Derbyshire. Social housing accounts for roughly one in six homes in the UK (around 4.5 million properties), but progress on energy efficiency has been slow. Meeting an EPC C standard by 2030 could cost an estimated £37 billion, averaging about £25,000 per property across 1.5 million homes.

Focusing on delivery, Adrian Prestidge (EMCCA) outlined regional retrofit strategy development. EMCCA has successfully delivered £10.1 million of retrofit capital installations, providing 837 measures installed over 500 homes, as well as commissioning Local Area Energy Plans (LEAP) that will identify the scale of retrofit needed and the areas with lowest efficiency homes.

Jenny Pierpoint, COO of the Retrofit Academy, addressed the skills challenge facing the sector. The organisation’s mission is to attract, train and develop 50,000 retrofit professionals by 2030. With nearly 10,000 already trained since 2016, Pierpoint emphasised that demand is growing rapidly as investment increases. The Warm Homes Plan alone aims to retrofit 5 million homes in the next five years, with significant funding already flowing to the East Midlands. However, addressing the retrofit skills gap will require attracting new entrants (existing construction professionals, career changers, and young people not currently in employment, education or training) and supporting them with continuous professional development and accreditation.

Speakers from across the sector also shared practical examples and community perspectives. Miranda Cumberbatch from Nottingham Energy Partnership highlighted local initiatives such as the Aspley Super Warm Zone, while Zack Gill (Energiesprong UK) and Charles Bradshaw-Smith (SMARTKLUB) discussed approaches that empower communities and accelerate net-zero housing upgrades.

The symposium concluded with a panel debate where speakers stressed the importance of learning from previous initiatives while maintaining momentum. Themes included the need for better collaboration across organisations, stronger communication of positive success stories, and new ways to encourage uptake.

One particularly thought-provoking point raised during the discussion was the language we use. Rather than “retrofitting”, which can imply fixing a problem, our panel Chair, Lucelia Rodrigues suggested thinking in terms of renovating homes. Language is emotive and framing the transition as an upgrade is far more compelling.

As investment increases and new policies take shape, the discussions highlighted both the complexity and the urgency of scaling up warm homes delivery. Events like this really do demonstrate the growing momentum across the sector. Remember, we’re all on the same side, and let’s not let perfect be the enemy of good. 

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