We recently held an event as part of our Measuring Outcomes & Impact Evaluation project, supported by TrustMark, Arup, and Impact on Urban Health. The session brought together a focused group of stakeholders involved in retrofit delivery.
Our aspiration was to better understand the reality of measuring, reporting and delivering the outcomes required by current retrofit policies and grant schemes, and to explore the opportunities for broader outcome targeting and measurement, particularly in areas like public health, air quality, and community wealth building.
STRONG MOTIVATION, BUT PERSISTENT BARRIERS
One thing that came through clearly is that delivery teams are highly motivated to meet, and often go beyond, the outcomes set. There’s a real understanding that if you are accessing someone’s home, to carry out sometimes disruptive works, it’s vital to make the most of that opportunity. Local Authorities, in particular, are often keen to align other improvements with retrofit delivery, whenever they can.
However, it was also clear that fundamental problems remain with the way current policies and schemes are structured and administered. These include:
- Short-term funding cycles
- Unrealistic delivery timeframes
- Excessive competition for limited supply chain capacity
These issues continue to undermine the potential for consistent, impact-led delivery. Without addressing these root causes, it will be difficult to improve or expand the range of outcomes that retrofit programmes are able to deliver.
MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE
There is, however, a significant opportunity here. At the National Retrofit Hub, we’re working collaboratively with the sector to surface real-world delivery experience and use our position to feed that learning directly into government. That way, we can help ensure that the right messages are getting through, and that there is space for more effective, outcomes-focused policy design in future.
This is a key part of what our Measuring Outcomes & Impact Evaluation project is all about: making sure the full value of retrofit, particularly the health and social benefits, is properly measured, understood and built into the way we plan and deliver retrofit at scale.
If you’d like to hear more about this work as it develops, stay in touch via our newsletter.
JOIN OUR STAKEHOLDER GROUP (RESIDENT & HOMEOWNER REPRESENTATIVES)
As part of our ongoing project on Measuring Outcomes and Impact Evaluation in retrofit, we are inviting participants to join Stakeholder Group 3 – Resident and Homeowner Representatives who have participated in retrofit programs or been on the receiving end of retrofit – to join us for a dedicated workshop.
This session aims to explore the lived experiences and real-world impact on those who have undergone retrofit work, with a focus on understanding the specific benefits and challenges they encountered.
A key part of the discussion will also explore the broader opportunities these programs may offer, especially in relation to improving health outcomes. Your insights will play a crucial role in shaping how we evaluate and enhance future retrofit initiatives.
The session will take place on Wednesday 27th August 2025 from 10 – 11am.
