Together Housing and RPS Group formed one of the UK’s most ambitious domestic decarbonisation partnerships. The latter’s Graham Rothwell shares some of the big lessons learned retrofitting social homes at scale
I’ve looked on with interest as the new government has identified housing and the green economy as a significant way of stimulating the economy, strengthening green supply chains and contributing to net zero.
An extra £6.6bn has been committed to upgrading 5m existing homes before 2028, increasing their energy efficiency and lowering fuel bills, with targeted support for 200,000 low-income households, cold and social homes.
For social landlords the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) has allocated £1.25bn to support up to 140,000 social homes with insulation and retrofitting them to improving energy performance and lower energy bills.
As the owner of one of the UK’s larger domestic renewable energy system installers, I think increased government funding for decarbonising the existing housing stock is a good investment.
It will generate a solid social and economic return by reducing energy bills and stimulating economic growth across the UK and help to reduce the 20% of UK emissions generated by existing homes.
Significant investment
RPS Group has already invested significantly in renewables, such as heat pumps, PV solar and battery storage, and reskilled our workforce to meet the anticipated future demand.
This commitment was crucial to us securing a groundbreaking four-year strategic partnership with Together Housing, and the greater certainty from the government’s commitment to decarbonising homes will allow us to invest further.
Looking more specifically at the SHDF Wave 3 funding, larger landlords with a proven track record of delivery will be encouraged to form strategic supply chain partnerships to deliver at scale, supporting thousands of homes.
The removal of fabric-first as a prerequisite (although homes will still have to comply with the PAS 2035 standards), will give social landlords more flexibility on how they invest, bringing more renewable energy and heating systems into play.
The experience that RPS and Together Housing have gained from working in partnership has been invaluable.
Jon Schofield, assistant director of property (net zero) at Together Housing, explains: “Together embarked on an ambitious strategy in 2021 to improve the energy efficiency of its 38,000 properties, mostly in Lancashire and Yorkshire
“We’re aiming for a 50% total reduction in operational carbon impact over 10 years by 2030, while also generating up to 50 megawatts of renewable energy using solar energy and battery storage systems.”
Schofield continues: “Together’s carbon reduction strategy underpins investment in our housing stock, and we’re committed to raising all our properties with an EPC rating band of D or below to band C or above by 2030.
“This has given rise to major investments in retrofit programmes, particularly in what we call light retrofit: Loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and underfloor insulation. We also do deep retrofit, undertaking external wall insulation in non-traditional properties.
“RPS Group is working with us to deliver a major heat pump programme, mostly across Yorkshire, and we’re installing around 500 pumps year-on-year and were coming to the end of the third year.
“Looking ahead to Wave 3, Together intends to submit a sizeable bid, potentially up to 5,000 properties over the three-year term, using the strategic partnership route.”
Reviewing what’s been done to date, here are some of the important lessons we have learnt:
1. Smart engagement
Decarbonising homes can feel daunting for residents, permanently changing their homes, so the clearer we can be about timing and impact on people’s lives, the better for everyone.
We’re working closely with Together to share knowledge and intelligence to make sure the right information is communicated to residents at the right time, and then always be available to respond to any questions people may have before, during and after the work.
Every home is different and around 20% of homes will fail to meet the criteria for air source heat pumps, particularly mid-terraces and apartments, so it is better to identify these properties quickly.
Resident attitudes can also vary greatly, with a significant number refusing access, and Together was clever to incentivise change by offering a decorating allowance and replacing gas cookers with electric ones.
Schofield adds: “RPS conduct pre-entry surveys which influence the way individual properties are assessed, and our project coordinators then use this data when we first contact households, increasing future access rates and home completions.
“We then carry-out joint scoping sessions as we go, so we can tweak details, because good design leads to more efficient installations and happier customers.”
2. Learn lessons fast
Sheridan Boyd, senior project coordinator, Together Housing, says: “My team is responsible for coordinating the eventual retrofit of all Together’s properties and retrofitting at this scale felt new to us at first.
“We relied heavily on RPS to share its experience and knowledge so we could eventually meet our own high standards. RPS made sure we understood the new technologies being installed, how they work and how we will manage them in the future.
“My advice: Learn the lessons quickly and as you go, and work with the right lead contractor to improve the installation process from one home to the next. Become experts over time.”
3. Partnership should build valuable relationships
Sheridan Boyd continues: “Wave 3 of SHDF will encourage more social landlords to follow our lead and retrofit at scale, which is no easy task, particularly in the early stages when you lack the practical experience.
“To retrofit 1,000 plus homes for the first time you must invest time in building a consistent working relationship with your lead contractors, because the closer you can work and learn from each other, the easier it should get.
“An experienced contractor will not only deliver the physical and technical elements of the work, but also take a clear, honest, and concise approach to resident communications. Where lessons need to be learnt, be willing to adjust alongside your in-house team.”
4. Support residents with remote data
Together’s Jon Schofield continues: “RPS is responsible for maintaining our new heating systems for twelve months post installation and is the first port of call for any problems via remote access to heat pump data and diagnostics.
“This is a very useful part of the aftercare programme and gets used daily. It has allowed us to be smarter in how we support customers and maintain hardware. Remote data access allows us to diagnose underperforming systems and decide a course of action.”
5. Tackle misinformation
There’s a lot of false information out there about heat pumps, particularly around noise, cost and performance, and that has unfortunately resonated with a proportion of residents.
These must be addressed throughout the process, with people given access to information and opportunities to experience operating systems.
RPS walks residents through how to use their new systems properly as part of the final stages of the commissioning process.
Schofield agrees: “As well as the false rumours, heat pumps can feel counter-intuitive at first in comparison to traditional gas boilers, and the challenge can be changing peoples’ mindsets.
“RPS and other contractors will need to play an important role in engaging with the customer, setting up systems to suit the needs of the household, as it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation.”
Finally, I’d like to re-emphasise, that although most social landlords are still to tackle a 1,000+ home retrofit, a growing number, including Together, have been down that road, and its experiences, along with ours, are there to be shared and learnt from, so do get in touch if we can help shape your approach.
Together Housing’s four-year retrofit partnership with RPS Group concludes in 2026.
Graham Rothwell is the proprietor and chief executive of RPS Group
Image credit: © Paul David Drabble/Photography North. Courtesy of RPS Group
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