Kingston's Efficient Homes Show

The challenge

The energy used to heat and power homes is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, accounting for roughly 20 per cent of emissions each year.

Retrofitting is the process of making improvements to a building so that it requires less energy to heat and power, and can include a shift to green energy production.

Decarbonising housing stock through retrofit is a key objective for councils across the country, as they tackle climate change against the backdrop of increased energy costs and the cost of living crisis.

There are a number of barriers to retrofit, including:

• limited public knowledge and engagement of the subject
• willingness to retrofit and trust in the process
• supply and demand issues
• contractors not knowing the commercial benefit of retrofit
• skills shortages
• cost of retrofit and limited availability of funding.

The solution 

Kingston Council is organising a Green Home Show at a local school in Kingston, which will bring together local retrofit educators, suppliers and residents who are interested in retrofitting their own property, are curious about retrofit or would like to know more about a career in a related sector.

The event will also be attended by local businesses from the surrounding area, covering a diverse range of expertise, products and services.

These will include solar panels, heat pumps, heat recovery systems, heating controls, water recycling, insulation, electric vehicle charging points, environmental accreditation schemes and more.

As a council we want to ensure confidence in the retrofit sector to increase the capacity of green skills providers and suppliers. We also want to encourage people to consider retrofitting their own property, help them understand the benefits and inspire confidence in the cost and quality of the work.

This will, in part, be achieved by connecting residents, suppliers and educators.

The expected impact

The Green Home Show will address a number of issues around the retrofit topic:

Lessons learned and replicability

Lessons learned and feedback collated will be analysed and recommendations created about how to approach the event differently in the future. A document will be created, outlining the steps needed to create a successful retrofit event along with best practice and recommendations for other organisations to follow.

Lessons will be shared with Kingston Green Business Community, local community groups, exhibitors and event organisers, as well as with other councils who are considering organising something similar.

Contact

Ioanna Rossi, Green Economic Recovery Lead

Email: [email protected]