Retrofit revealed: why energy efficiency upgrades are a must for British homes

When we’re talking about upgrading homes and buildings, words like ‘retrofit’, ‘energy efficiency’, ‘decarbonisation’, ‘sustainable’ and ‘low emission’ get mentioned a lot. 

However, when it comes to upgrades applied to British homes, what do these words actually mean?

We spoke with our senior technical manager Dean Firth to discuss this and break down the importance of retrofit work, ensuring it’s easy to understand.

When asked what retrofit means in this context, Dean said: “a warmer, more comfortable home with lower bills and lower carbon emissions.”

Watch our short, two-minute video with Dean below as we break this down to discuss what this means in the context of home upgrades.

Retrofit is the process of upgrading existing buildings with new technology, materials or systems which help to improve their energy efficiency, reduce environmental impact and enhance comfort for building users.

Dean said: “When we say ‘retrofit’, we mean adding energy efficiency upgrades to existing buildings.”

Insulation, solar panels, energy efficient lighting such as LEDs and low-or-no-emission heating systems in place of fossil fuels such as gas are all common upgrades installed with an aim to improve energy efficiency.

Buildings that have a higher energy efficiency also have lower operational costs. 

Dean added: “For the people in those buildings it means two things.

“It means, first of all, an increase in thermal comfort. That is – you’re not shivering in a cold house, you feel nice and warm in your house.

“Then, the second thing is a reduction in bills.”

In 2022, the government published a report confirming that 20 per cent of emissions come from residential buildings. 

The top cause of emissions in residential circumstances is from burning fossil fuels for heating and hot water and electricity. 

To reduce emissions associated with these, clean technologies such as air source heat pumps, insulation measures and solar panels can be introduced – in some way – to most homes.

However, as Dean said in the video: “It’s a really difficult puzzle.”

The UK government has committed to a legally binding net zero target of 2050.

It's also committed to minimising risks of fuel poverty caused by poorly insulated, expensive to heat homes. 

The Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2 and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2, which our Salix teams support, provide crucial funding to support local authorities and housing associations to meet these targets. 

Funding for these schemes is delivered on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Combined, the Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2 and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2 will see tens of thousands of British homes upgraded with measures that will support householders with warmer spaces and lower energy bills, helping to alleviate risks of fuel poverty.

The same measures benefitting householders in this way will also reduce the carbon emissions associated with the space.

Dean said: “If we can make a house so it uses less energy then, not only does it reduce the bills for the householders, but it reduces the amount of carbon dioxide that’s released into the atmosphere.”