The Retrofit Academy CIC was established to address the critical skills and knowledge gaps that have long hindered the quality and consistency of domestic retrofit projects, particularly under schemes like the ECO and the Green Deal. These issues stemmed largely from the failure of mainstream education to embed retrofit into its curriculum – despite retrofit being essential to the UK’s net zero and housing quality ambitions.
That’s why we strongly welcome the Each Home Counts Report, authored and chaired by Dr Peter Bonfield, which emerged from the wider Each Home Counts Review. The Report provides a vital framework for improving standards, skills, and consumer protection in home energy efficiency and whole-house retrofit delivery.
Skills and Knowledge: A Long-Overdue Focus
One of the most significant sections of the Each Home Counts Report focuses on skills and knowledge, rightly recommending that:
“Knowledge and understanding of basic building physics, the holistic or whole-property approach to assessing homes, and effective interactions with customers are embedded in all relevant education, at all stages of retrofit.”
This is a long-overdue recognition of the retrofit skills gap that has affected the sector for years. Embedding this knowledge at all levels of education and training will be essential to delivering high-quality, sustainable refurbishment at scale.
Empowering the Education Sector to Deliver Retrofit Excellence
To achieve the aims set out in the Report, the education sector will need expert support. True retrofit expertise is still relatively scarce, which is why The Retrofit Academy has always worked with the UK’s leading practitioners to develop our training programmes.
Our expert-led Retrofit Coordinator courses offer a robust foundation of practical and theoretical knowledge – one that is ready to be built upon by training providers and professional bodies looking to align with the Report’s recommendations.
This is not a time to start from scratch. The tools, frameworks, and content already exist. What’s needed now is widespread collaboration to embed retrofit learning into mainstream education and industry qualifications.
Existing Retrofit Training Initiatives Aligned with the Report
The Retrofit Academy is already leading a number of initiatives that reflect the direction of the Each Home Counts Report, including:
- A CPD partnership with RIBA to support architects in becoming qualified Retrofit Coordinators
- The development of higher education qualifications in collaboration with the University of Salford
- Active engagement with agencies across Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland to support retrofit education in the devolved nations.
These efforts are part of our broader mission to professionalise the retrofit workforce and support consistent, high-quality delivery across the UK.ader mission to professionalise the retrofit workforce and support consistent, high-quality delivery across the UK, it can be downloaded here.
