Planning and best practice guidance: A route map to help householders with their energy saving retrofits

Abstract

This paper presents the experience of delivering a local authority led, solid wall insulation focused energy efficiency scheme. The aims are to present the national and localised policy context in which the scheme was developed, and to identify the major challenges that have arisen during the delivery phase of the scheme. Four key themes are identified: planning consents and traditional construction; customer engagement and knowledge; industry transition; and national policy drivers. The examination of these key areas of challenge focuses on the issues for delivery at scale within the private owner-occupier sector. The following section considers Bristol City Council's solutions to improving customer experience and the industry's ability to improve its understanding of building physics to drive improvements in the quality of installations. The paper concludes by drawing together the challenges and solutions: making suggestions of improvements for energy literacy for customer engagement and empowerment; developing installer training and a kitemark, or industry standard, to drive quality in the industry; as well as suggestions on how a more holistic approach to energy retrofitting could deliver the former and see real savings for energy and CO2.