Blog: Successful retrofit is about people, not just properties

Delivering better retrofit outcomes requires more than funding and installation targets. Evidence from National Energy Action’s Community Retrofit Hubs in Burnley (now East Lancashire), Sheffield and Oldham shows that trust, advocacy and end-to-end support are often the difference between eligibility and meaningful outcomes. The hubs provide local, face-to-face support to help households access energy efficiency and low-carbon home improvements.

For many policymakers and practitioners, retrofit is often viewed as a purely technical process involving assessments, funding allocations and the installation of energy efficiency measures. Yet the lived experience of households tells a very different story.

Our evidence shows that households rarely approach services asking for retrofit. Instead, they come seeking help because they are living in cold homes with damp and mould, high energy bills, housing disrepair, failing heating systems or health problems linked to poor housing conditions. Retrofit emerges as a solution to these wider challenges rather than being the starting point itself.

There is an important lesson for policymakers: if we want retrofit programmes to succeed, we must focus not only on the measures installed in properties, but also on the support people need to access, navigate and benefit from those measures.

Retrofit should be viewed as a housing and health intervention

Many households supported by National Energy Action’s Retrofit Hubs describe living in homes that were negatively affecting their health, comfort and wellbeing. Cold homes, damp, mould and poor ventilation were common themes, with many households reporting negative impacts on physical and mental health.

This reinforces a message that National Energy Action has long advocated: retrofit is not simply an energy efficiency intervention. It is also a housing, health, educational attainment and quality of life intervention.

When retrofit successfully addresses these issues, the outcomes extend far beyond energy savings. Improvements can help protect health, improve housing stability, support independent living and reduce the pressures associated with fuel poverty. For families with children, our evidence shows that warmer homes can improve children’s comfort, health and wellbeing, reduce the harmful effects of living in cold homes, and create healthier, more stable environments for families.

Eligibility does not automatically lead to outcomes

A key theme emerging from our evidence is the gap between eligibility and successful retrofit delivery.

Many of the households we have supported were technically eligible for assistance long before they received any improvements. What changed was not their eligibility status. What changed was access to trusted support. Advisers helped people understand funding options, complete applications, navigate complex processes, liaise with contractors and maintain engagement when delays occurred.

Too often, policy discussions assume that eligibility is enough. In reality, many households face barriers that make it difficult to engage with retrofit schemes, including poor health, caring responsibilities, digital exclusion, language barriers, low confidence and previous negative experiences. For some, the challenge is not whether support is available, but whether they have the capacity to navigate a complex retrofit landscape. In these situations, advisers often act as an extension of household capacity, helping to bridge the gap between opportunity and delivery, reducing the risk of disengagement, and ensuring that eligible households can access and benefit from retrofit improvements.

If policymakers want retrofit programmes to reach those most in need, investment in support services must be viewed as a core part of delivery rather than an optional extra.

Trust is a critical part of retrofit delivery

Trust emerges as one of the strongest themes across evidence from National Energy Action’s clients.

Many households enter the retrofit process with understandable concerns arising from previous bad experiences, poor communication or installations that had failed to deliver expected outcomes. In this context, trust-building becomes a critical delivery function.

Our evidence highlights the importance of local advisers who have built trust over time and embedded themselves within the communities they support, remaining present throughout the customer journey. Home visits, face-to-face engagement and personalised support helped households feel confident enough to continue engaging with retrofit opportunities. Advisers are often the only consistent point of contact throughout what could otherwise be a fragmented process involving multiple organisations, contractors and funding schemes.

As government looks to scale retrofit delivery, trust cannot be treated as a secondary consideration. It is often a prerequisite for engagement.

Consumer protection and quality assurance matter

Installation is often the stage where households experience the greatest uncertainty and risk.

Our evidence shows that households can encounter poor communication, delays, and concerns about workmanship. In these situations, advisers frequently act as advocates, helping people understand their rights, challenge poor practice and access appropriate redress.

This reflects a wider lesson for retrofit policy. Strong consumer protection arrangements are essential, particularly for vulnerable households who may have limited capacity to navigate complaints processes or challenge contractors independently. Retrofit programmes should be designed not only to deliver measures, but also to ensure households are protected when things go wrong.

Success does not end at installation

Retrofit is often treated as complete once measures have been installed, but the reality is more complex.

Many households require further support to understand and operate new technologies, access export payments, navigate tariffs, troubleshoot issues and build confidence using unfamiliar systems. Without this support, households may struggle to realise the full benefits of improved warmth and bill savings of retrofit investment.

This highlights the importance of viewing retrofit as an ongoing journey rather than a one-off installation event. Post-installation advice and support should be recognised as a core component of successful delivery.

Putting people at the centre of retrofit policy

The evidence from National Energy Action’s Retrofit Hubs demonstrates that successful retrofit depends on more than funding mechanisms and technical standards.

Households need trusted support, advocacy, quality assurance, energy advice and help navigating an often-fragmented system. These services play a vital role in converting eligibility into health and affordability outcomes and ensuring people can fully benefit from investment in their homes.

Successful retrofit can also have benefits beyond the individual household. Positive experiences help build trust and social capital within communities, encourage further home improvements and generate word-of-mouth referrals, helping to increase awareness and demand for retrofit over time.

As governments across the UK seek to accelerate retrofit and meet net zero goals, there is an opportunity to build programmes around the realities of lived experience. Focusing solely on installations risks missing the factors that determine whether households engage, remain involved and ultimately benefit.

The lesson from our evidence is clear: successful retrofit is not just about improving properties. It is about supporting people.