Bridging the gap through responsive retrofit
“As we celebrate our 125th anniversary, sustainable homes and communities are at the heart of our social purpose. Achieving our target of being net zero by 2050 will be no mean feat, and innovative projects like this one are a key part of this, bringing colleagues together to make a difference, both to our residents and the planet we all call home. ”
By Mary Bunner, Money Guidance Manager at Clarion Futures
At Clarion, our focus is on making a difference and being a force for good for both people and planet. We’re committed to becoming a net zero organisation by 2050 and that’s on all of us, whichever team we’re part of.
It’s a scary thought, but it’s been said that failure to act in reducing carbon emissions will result in a significant biodiversity loss and extinction within the next 80 years. The truth is, unless things change dramatically, in my son’s lifetime some animals will only exist as childhood memories.
That’s why we all have a responsibility to play our part in cutting emissions, but we can’t lose sight of the human impact – by retrofitting homes, we’re supporting residents at risk of fuel poverty to make savings on their energy bills and improve the warmth and comfort of their homes.
This was highlighted in our annual residents’ survey, The Index, which in 2024 found that 43% of respondents were finding it difficult to afford energy bills.
“Because my mental health’s not great and due to my depression, I tend to spend a lot of time at home. It’s nice to know I’m not going to get huge bills from sitting at home and I can just feel at home, feel comfortable and it does reduce my anxiety knowing that it’s all ticking over.”
Clarion resident
Through Clarion Futures, we provide money guidance to thousands of households every year which, alongside The Index, has given us invaluable insight into the challenges facing residents. One topic that has come up time and time again is the need for support to tide people over before energy-inefficient homes – those with an EPC rating of D or below – identified for improvements are retrofitted through our major asset investment programme.
That’s where the idea for our responsive retrofit pilot came from. Joining the dots between our money guidance and property teams, this initiative helps households manage their energy bills by installing low-level energy efficiency measures that can make an immediate impact, helping to bridge the gap before major retrofit works can be carried out.
Launched in October 2023, the pilot reached out to residents in the West Midlands living in homes with an EPC rating of D or below, providing them with the opportunity to access energy and money advice, as well as an in-home energy assessment and the installation of low-level energy efficiency measures. These included radiator reflectors, water efficient shower heads and thermostatic radiator valves, with the pilot also acting as a gateway to a whole range of support provided by Clarion Futures.
Thanks to funding from the Fusion21 Foundation, the impact of the pilot has been evaluated by National Energy Action (NEA), the fuel poverty charity, with learnings available to other housing providers and stakeholders who may benefit.
As part of the evaluation, households who took part in the pilot were invited to share their experiences and thoughts on the difference it made. 95% said that before getting help they were unable to keep their home warm when it was cold outside, with the primary reason being the cost of energy. 64% of those surveyed said that they had their heating on lower or less often than they would like in order to save money.
The pilot appeared to lessen the impact of the cost of living and energy crises, with a 17% reduction in those reporting difficulty with heating their home after accessing help through the pilot. Households that said they could now keep their home warm when it was cold increased from one in 20 (5%) before support was received, to one in five (21%) post-intervention.
Several longer-term impacts included improvements in household budgets, the identification of unreported damp and mould, and enhanced self-reported health and wellbeing associated with reduced anxiety and financial stress.
“I spoke to a financial person, who was brilliant. And I got so much help, so much help. They’ve been brilliant, absolutely brilliant, and it has helped my mental health as well.”
Clarion resident
As we celebrate our 125th anniversary, sustainable homes and communities are at the heart of our social purpose. Achieving our target of being net zero by 2050 will be no mean feat, and innovative projects like this one are a key part of this, bringing colleagues together to make a difference, both to our residents and the planet we all call home.
It’s all part of our commitment to ensuring that our residents will not be in a worse financial position due to decarbonisation initiatives, making sure we achieve a just transition to net zero that delivers homes that are cheaper to run, more comfortable, healthier to live in and more climate resilient.
Looking to the future, building on the learnings from the responsive retrofit pilot we’re rolling it out nationwide over the next two years, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Find out more about the range of support available through Clarion Futures