The path to decarbonising our homes often focuses heavily on technical solutions – the effectiveness of different insulation materials, the efficiency of heat pumps, or the optimal placement of solar panels. However, a recent Festival of Retrofit at Mycenae House in Greenwich on Saturday 30th November 2024, hosted by South East London Community Energy (SELCE), demonstrated the necessity of building place-based capacity to address the social and organisational challenges of retrofit.
The festival, which brought together residents, technical experts, community organisations, and researchers, illustrated the relationships between technical knowledge, social support networks, and community-led action in driving housing retrofit. Rather than presenting retrofit solely as a technical challenge, the event positioned it within broader conversations about health and wellbeing, the long-term stewardship of the built environment, social equity, and collective climate action.
Panel discussions explored the interconnections between housing quality, public health, and climate action and how communities can work collectively to make retrofit happen. These discussions highlighted that retrofit policy and delivery efforts need to reflect that housing is both collective infrastructure and deeply personal, emotive space. While an ambitious national policy and investment programme to improve our housing stock is needed, this must be delivered by local bodies who can provide trusted support for households and communities to navigate and make key decisions in the process. Additionally, funding support for retrofit should be inclusive enough to help households in different financial circumstances, especially for area-based projects.
Between the panel discussions, a series of practical workshops explored the technical and financial aspects of retrofit. However, these sessions went beyond simply presenting information – they created spaces for dialogue where attendees could voice concerns and share experiences around common challenges. This approach shows how transferring technical understanding can be enhanced through social learning and peer support. The presence of retrofit assessors and energy advisors offering one-to-one consultations further highlighted the importance of trusted intermediaries in helping households navigate complex decisions about their homes.
Throughout the day, our research team from EDRC, which works with SELCE to research their Future Fit Homes programme, engaged with attendees to understand their retrofit journeys, challenges, and support needs. We also observed how events like these serve multiple functions: knowledge transfer, network building, and the cultivation of collective retrofit capacity. The festival showed that while technical expertise and delivery capacity are crucial, social infrastructure – trust, relationships, and shared understanding – is essential to build long-term capacity and momentum for retrofit in places across the country.
