‘Retrofitting’ is a term used to describe improvement work on an existing building to improve its energy efficiency – making it easier to heat, able to keep that heat in for longer – and replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy. We speak to local architect Alice Brown about her work helping people to make changes to their homes 

Tell us a bit about what you do.    

I run a small architecture business in Archway: AAB Architects. We’ve been running for 25 years. I’ve become very concerned about the climate and ecological emergency, so I’ve tried to do more work around retrofitting and helping people save energy in their homes. I’ve become a retrofit coordinator, which is specific training you can do to gain the knowledge needed to help people make the right decisions about their homes.     

I’m also a director of Retrofit Kentish Town. It’s a community retrofit group – neighbours coming together to talk about and learn what retrofit means and how it can help them reduce their bills, make a more comfortable home and, very importantly, cut their energy use.    

Why is retrofitting important?    

We all need to prepare for adapting to climate change. Retrofitting our homes helps us prepare for what’s coming: an unpredictable climate, with hotter summers and most likely warmer and wetter winters. Or, possibly much colder winters if certain natural systems break down, in a worst-case scenario.    

Spending time and money thinking about how our homes work from an energy perspective, and making them more thermally efficient, prepares us for that. We have to take action to stop heat being wasted through windows, under doors, up chimneys. There are many things we can do in our homes to reduce wasted heat and energy.    

What are the benefits of retrofitting your home?    

It makes it more comfortable. For example, if you put in double glazing, it makes a big difference in terms of draughts, heat loss, and noise levels.  It’s nice to feel more in control of your environment. There’s comfort in not living in a draughty, noisy property. Especially as people get older and more sensitive to cold. It’s better for your health not to be cold and getting ill.     

With the cost-of-living crisis, especially around energy and gas prices, anything that reduces gas use is a good thing. Moving to electric and using solar energy can make a big difference to heating and hot water costs.    

What support is available?    

Some people are worried about making interventions into their properties without having guidance. It can be helpful, especially if you’re planning more large-scale works, to hire a retrofit coordinator to create a retrofit plan for your home. A whole home retrofit plan helps create a roadmap for how you can do works over a period of years. That’s a really good investment if you’re planning serious interventions.    

There are also funds available to help with the cost. For example, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides £7,500 for a heat pump. There’s also the Warm Homes Local Grant which can be used for energy saving improvements if you’re on a low income. These are both Government schemes that you can find more information about online.   

I hope that the funding situation will improve too – it has to, or we won’t make the progress we need. I think the Government will realise it needs to provide more money for energy efficiency.    

How can people get started?    

It really helps for people to go into homes and see what others have done. That’s the best way to get people motivated. There are different types of retrofits: lighter touch and deeper models. Seeing the whole range of what’s possible and getting people enthused that it’s doable, and can be fun, is key.      

Talking about retrofitting and why it’s important to save energy is a good way to introduce people to the need to cut carbon emissions and think about adaptation. People can’t always see the threat of climate change, but talking through why we’re making these efforts can help get them on board.    

You can do small things that add up and then move on to more intensive measures like insulation, double glazing, heat pumps, and solar panels if and when time and financial circumstances allow. That all makes a big difference to our national challenge to reduce carbon emissions.      

What else can we do to help protect the planet?    

There’s a huge range of things that need to be done, not just homes and heating. It’s everything from protecting biodiversity and nature, to reducing international travel. Tackling the climate emergency isn’t just about retrofitting, it’s about changing how we operate as a society. We need to be less wasteful and more community-minded.    

We need to build a circular economy and a sense of social justice that doesn’t exploit people. We have to make sure that the UK’s solutions to climate change don’t mean more exploitation or hardship for people in other parts of the world. We can’t let a small part of the global population be okay while the rest suffers.