• Adopting software and technology can help scope, manage, measure and report on retrofit trials and projects.
  • Social housing presents the most vital entry point for retrofitting.
  • Retrofitting supports the most pressing environmental, social and economic issues facing society today.

London - 05 April 2022 - Leading property technology platform, Plentific, has partnered with global insights advisory GlobeScan to produce an ESG Retrofit report outlining the challenges, opportunities, and best-practise approaches to help landlords, property managers, and public housing meet challenging climate change targets. Some 26 million homes in the United Kingdom will need retrofitting by 2050 and leading experts from housing organisations such as Peabody, Aster Group, Notting Hill Genesis and Clarion have provided their insights about the road ahead. 

The challenge is clear: buildings account for 30%-40% of the energy consumed and 20%-36% of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions across Europe and the US. The UK has committed to legally-binding targets to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. A key milestone is in just eight year’s time, with all homes required to have an EPC rating of B or C by 2030. All retrofits are now tied to the British Standards Institute (BSI) PAS 2035 framework in order to receive UK Government funding.

The experts featured in the report identified several factors which can help real estate providers accelerate and improve retrofits. Some of these are:

  • Achieve EPC C compliance – help identify easy wins and execute action plans to implement simple energy efficiency measures such as lighting upgrades.
  • Align improvements with repairs – take advantage of times when something breaks or needs repair to implement retrofit measures.
  • Help navigate and simplify policy and funding challenges - provide user-friendly tools that help managers to efficiently navigate policy requirements and funding sources.
  • Facilitate surveys and data collection – better data leads to better retrofit outcomes 
  • Help engage and educate residents – property managers need help with engaging, educating and getting buy-in from residents for retrofits.
  • Fill gaps in net carbon zero requirements – support property managers with taking action to address emerging issue areas like biodiversity and green spaces.
  • Enable pilot projects – experimenting with smaller scale projects will prove an effective way to learn about and improve the approach to retrofits.
  • Get funding - take full advantage of government funding opportunities and rebates.

The study also assessed the three retrofit approaches: ‘deep renovations’ or ‘whole-building’ retrofits; deep renovations via staged or step-by-step retrofits; and one-off and serial retrofits. It concludes that incorporating each of the above will be needed. Deep retrofits are often higher quality and more likely to avoid issues that can impact more incremental approaches.

The report also highlights the vital role that public housing plays in catalysing the market for retrofits and energy efficiency measures. With close to four million social housing units in the UK, the sector has the potential to harness innovation and economies of scale that benefit all. Adopting technology can help such organisations scope, manage, measure, and better report on retrofit projects. Plentific is planning to work with clients across the US, UK and Germany at every stage of the process, from joint tenders for funding to project consultation to implementation, measurement and reporting.

Cem Savas, CEO and Co-founder of Plentific, comments: “The research from our experts offers valuable guidance and points to a tremendous opportunity. Future-proofing our buildings will address the most pressing environmental, social and economic issues facing society today.”

The study was carried out on behalf of Plentific by global insights and advisory consultancy, GlobeScan. The full report is available for download on the Plentific website. 

 

About Plentific

Plentific is an all-in-one delivery platform for property maintenance. Plentific is trusted by some of the best-known organisations in property, including L&Q, Peabody and Notting Hill Genesis, to manage over 800,000 properties across the UK, Germany and USA. Plentific has redesigned and digitalised the entire property management value chain integrating repairs, compliance, inspections, turns and resident management to streamline property maintenance and provide instant insight into the health of a property portfolio. For more information, please visit www.plentific.com.

The study was carried out on behalf of Plentific by global insights and advisory consultancy, GlobeScan.

The full report is available for download here.