National Retrofit Hub sets ambitious agenda

The National Retrofit Hub (the Hub) hosted an open meeting, uniting nearly 400 industry professionals in a collaborative effort to revolutionise the retrofit landscape.

The diverse audience comprised designers, local authorities, contractors, installers, academics, NGOs, trade associations, finance experts, manufacturers, merchants, community groups, and more.

Lynne Sullivan OBE, Chair of the Hub’s Board, passionately articulated the Hub's purpose and its critical role. Sullivan emphasised the urgency of addressing challenges within the retrofit sector and called for collective efforts to drive sustainable change.

The event set out a platform for discussing the key objectives and outputs of the Hub's working groups, each dedicated to addressing critical challenges in the retrofit sector - and identifying synergies between them.

Working group leads presented examples of ongoing initiatives, including the development of a blueprint for retrofit information within building logbooks including whole-house retrofit solutions, EPC reform, overcoming barriers to scaling retrofit finance solutions, sharing best practice case studies, exploring pathways for community-driven initiatives, and supporting residents in decarbonising their homes.

Hub Co-Directors Rachael Owens and Sara Edmonds, who hosted the event, expressed their excitement about the Hub's Open Meeting, one year on from its initial launch:

“The level of participation and engagement blew us away. At the National Retrofit Hub, we believe the solution to enabling retrofit at scale lies in the collective brilliance of the retrofit sector. Through working together and our collaborative effort we aim to provide a set of tools, insights, and solutions that can be universally employed to facilitate large-scale retrofitting initiatives.

By bringing together the wealth of expertise in the field, we envision not just incremental progress but a transformative leap toward achieving widespread and sustainable retrofitting across the board.”

Participants echoed their enthusiasm for the event, with comments such as "Absolutely fantastic overview and update," "Thanks for an important update!" and "Well done all for such an efficient and useful event: really excellent.”

The National Retrofit Hub's first open meeting of 2024 set an ambitious agenda, positioning itself as a catalyst for transformative change within the retrofit sector.