RETROFITTING is a term that is becoming more prevalent within the construction sector. Involving the installation of energy-saving measures in older housing, it is being seen as an avenue that could help stimulate the industry and prove an alternative revenue stream for some construction companies.
A new generation of retrofit programmes are likely to be triggered by the Government's Green Deal carbon emission reduction programme.
The aim is to encourage as many people as possible to take measures to make their homes more energy efficient which will be achieved by providing loans to finance work such as the fitting of loft insulation, condensing boilers, draught proofing, solar panels and double glazing.
However, its introduction is some distance away with its launch not expected to take place until the autumn of next year.
In the meantime, it is imperative that the industry learns as much as possible about what it is possible to achieve through the retrofitting of houses and any issues that may need to be overcome.
This is being embraced by organisations such as contractor Willmott Dixon and, North East-based social housing provider Gentoo.
Gentoo has launched a Retrofit Reality project, which won the innovation category at Constructing Excellence in the North East's annual awards earlier this year.
The scheme is seeking to learn lessons for the housing sector and establish what is the 'reality' of the situation for landlords, customers and product suppliers when attempting to meet the challenge of the huge national retrofit programme that lies ahead.
It is examining how difficult these products are to put into a house, how easy they are to use, what the benefits are to people living in the homes, and what type of maintenance they require.
Willmott Dixon has teamed up with bodies, including South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridge University, to retrofit 13 homes, which are more than 40 years old.
Under the study, energy-saving measures including better insulation, solar panels and super-efficient boilers worth a total of £320,000 will be installed in the houses, which were built between 1956 and 1970.
When completed later this year, monitoring devices will be used to see what difference has actually been made in saving fuel costs. Householders taking part in the scheme will have logged their energy usage before the green devices were fitted.
A retrofit conference is being held, by Constructing Excellence in the North East in conjunction with Northern Architecture, on September 15 at the Newcastle Marriott Gosforth Park Hotel.
For more information on Constructing Excellence in the North East, please contact chief executive, Catriona Lingwood, on 0191-3740233 or catriona@cene.org.uk.
Catriona Lingwood is chief executive of Constructing Excellence in the North East.