History
During 2009 – 2010, the Technology Strategy Board implemented a £17m programme known as Retrofit for the Future (RfF), to kick-start the retrofitting of the UK’s social housing stock.
AECB – the sustainable building association was asked to develop appropriate energy performance targets for the competition and provide ongoing support and guidance.
The AECB has developed this database as an education and dissemination tool, incorporating both the RfF projects as well as new and refurbished domestic and non-domestic low energy buildings. TSB provided grant funding to support the development of the low energy buildings website.
RfF projects
The RfF programme was split into two phases, Phase 1 saw 194 design and feasibility studies developed, while Phase 2 took 86 of these studies and funded the implementation of the retrofits proposals. All 86 RfF projects that were accepted for Phase 2 funding are included in this database. Phase 1 design data for each project is included and over the period 2010 – 2011 the project teams will gradually populate the remaining database sections with additional information concerning the actual performance of their projects based on the RfF, Energy Saving Trust (EST) managed monitoring and feedback programme.
Each of the projects will see innovative plans put in place for low carbon refits of existing low-rise social housing that will meet the UK government’s target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions of 80% by 2050, while also cutting energy use dramatically.
Programme applicants were asked to develop whole house retrofit solutions that would result in deep cuts to CO₂ emissions whilst also significantly improving energy performance. Applicants were required to take a ‘whole house’ approach, i.e. to consider a household’s energy needs and carbon dioxide impacts as a whole, and establish a comprehensive package of measures to reduce them.
The initial analysis of monitoring data provided by Retrofit for the Future projects can be found at the Retrofit Analysis website.
One can also download Retrofit Revealed The Retrofit for the Future projects – data analysis report , which summarises the data analysis and provides a qualitative assessment of the final reports produced by Retrofit for the Future project teams. It contains valuable and practical findings for anyone planning a retrofit project.
The Retrofit for the Future data set is available on the embed database for further analysis.
AECB members’ projects
In addition to the RfF projects the database contains a growing number of low energy projects, owned, designed or constructed by AECB members.