A resident-first approach to planning retrofit works is vital for the decarbonisation our social housing stock.  Involving residents not only empowers them with a sense of ownership and pride in their community, but also allows for diverse perspectives and needs. Nick Atkin, chief executive of Yorkshire Housing, joins guest host Sarah McClelland to discuss the organisation’s experience of engaging tenants in retrofit projects, including between funding windows when there is no certainty over the date works will take place. This podcast is an informal discussion between interested partie ..read more

There is a pressing need to embed equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) principles into the DNA of housing providers, as they offer transformative potential within retrofit strategy and delivery.    In this episode of the podcast, host Sarah Daly is joined by Lucy Malarkey, EDI trainer and consultant, and managing director of Women in Social Housing.  Listen as the two discuss how housing providers can ensure their retrofit strategies are proactively inclusive, and address gender, ethnicity and socio-economic factors. This podcast is an informal discussion between interested ..read more

Choosing the right heating technology for homes can drastically reduce carbon emissions and decrease energy bills for tenants.   In this episode of the podcast, host Sarah Daly discusses some of the different heating technologies available on the market with Jan Rosenow, director of European programmes at The Regulatory Assistance Project, and Claire Brown, senior consultant at Tuner & Townsend and PhD researcher at the University of Manchester. All resources referenced in this episode can be found at ⁠⁠socialhousingretrofit.org ⁠⁠ This podcast is an informal discussion between intere ..read more

Mandatory for all government grant-funded programmes, TrustMark is the only government-endorsed quality scheme in the UK for retrofit.  In this episode of the podcast, host Sarah Daly is joined by Phil Mason, head of regulatory engagement at TrustMark.  Find out about what the organisation does, why they’re there, and how the Data Warehouse can support good quality retrofit delivery.  All resources referenced in this episode can be found at ⁠socialhousingretrofit.org ⁠ This podcast is an informal discussion between interested parties associated with the Social Housing Retrofit A ..read more

PAS 2035 is the quality standard for the energy efficiency sector, and a requirement for all government-funded retrofit work. And although it can be a lengthy and complicated process, it can also help to manage the significant technical risks associated with retrofit, ensuring housing providers implement a compliant and well-scoped project.   In this episode of the podcast, host Sarah Daly is joined by Russell Smith from Parity Projects and Fallon Warren from Orbit Group.  Listen as the three outline the basics of PAS 2035, how to embrace the key principles of the standard, and why c ..read more

With inflation continuing to put pressure on the delivery of retrofit projects, how can social housing providers balance rapidly fluctuating costs to remain within budget while maintaining supplier relationships? In this episode of the podcast, host Sarah Daly is joined once more by David Kemp, associate director at Turner & Townsend, to discuss how housing providers are managing procurement in a hyperinflationary environment. Visit socialhousingretrofit.org to find out more about the SHRA resources available. Find out more and sign up for your nearest Retrofit Essentials Bootcamp at ..read more

With many social housing providers awarded funding in Wave 2 of the SHDF, and some now starting new working relationships with contractors to deliver retrofit programmes, what considerations should providers be having for contractor partners? In this episode of the podcast, host Sarah Daly is joined by three contractors working on a wide range of social housing retrofit projects - Claire Bailey-Jones from Novus Solutions, Carl Yale from Lovell, and Tom Sowerby from Wates. All resources referenced in this episode can be found at socialhousingretrofit.org This podcast is an informal discussion b ..read more

In this episode of the podcast, host Sarah Daly is joined by Turner & Townsend's Alison Skillen to discuss low carbon heating. Listen as the two unpack the wide variety of solutions available and the differing benefits, as well as drawbacks that providers should be aware of before deciding which technology to adopt. This podcast is an informal discussion between interested parties associated with the Social Housing Retrofit Accelerator. Any views expressed are those of the individuals concerned and do not seek to represent the government ..read more

In today's episode, Paul Quinn from Clarion Housing and Natalie Gardner from Turner & Townsend join host Sarah Daly to discuss the relationship between retrofit and regeneration. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has announced significant investment in energy efficiency measures, but housing providers need to go beyond retrofitting a home to create happy, healthy communities. Listen as the three discuss the elements of a regeneration approach that can be applied to retrofit projects, as well as the need to work retrofit thinking into regeneration schemes. This podcast is an i ..read more

In this episode Sarah Daly of Turner & Townsend's SHRA team and Russell Smith, managing director of RetrofitWorks, discuss the challenges of social housing retrofit, focusing on applying best practice in supply chains to SHDF.  For more formal guidance for supply chains or those procuring, please check out these recorded masterclasses on the 'Resources' tab on www.socialhousingretrofit.org.uk: 'Creating successful supply chains for SHDF' and 'SHDF ensuring compliance for installers, contractors and suppliers'.  This podcast is an informal discussion between interested parties ass ..read more