NHDG at Futurebuild

The Big Retrofit Challenge
2026

Winners of the second annual Big Retrofit Challenge have been announced by the National Home Decarbonisation Group (NHDG) in partnership with Futurebuild and Innovate UK.

The competition is designed to accelerate retrofit innovation and tackle barriers to market by platforming smaller innovators with unique solutions to big problems in the sector.

The winners, which must be UK-registered businesses with a turnover of up to £15m and focused on making homes warmer, drier and healthier for all, include:

  • DiscreteHeat – ThermaSkirt is a skirting board that heats homes by combining heating and skirting in one to free up wall space, reduce energy bills and enable the installation of heat pumps
  • Transform-ER – Transform-ER is a bold new integrated delivery model for retrofit that lets landlords and local authorities stop managing complexity and start delivering homes.
  • Healthy Air Technology – dedicated to researching, developing, manufacturing and deploying new solutions for air cleansing and pollutant removal
  • IoT Solutions Group – uses remote technology to collect data and provide real-time insights that help organisations make accurate decisions faster, save money and deliver better services to improve society
  • Kestrix – a technology company that analyses thermal images of buildings to assess heat loss and generate energy efficiency retrofit plans
  • Wrapt Homes – supports homeowners, landlords and housing associations to improve the energy efficiency of homes through advice, design and installation

Laura Marks, decarbonisation project manager at United Infrastructure and chair of the National Home Decarbonisation Group’s Innovation Working Group, said:

“The Big Retrofit Challenge is all about acknowledging innovators developing new products, services or digital solutions that advance retrofit delivery and performance. It also recognises those that improve occupant health and support the UK’s journey to net zero.

Last year we saw winners progress from pitching their offering to working directly with housing providers, shaping specifications and piloting solutions. This year’s winning cohort have an opportunity to do the same, through greater exposure of their focus on important challenges including technology adoption, occupant engagement and increasing the scale of retrofit delivery.”

Four businesses were also highly commended for the work they are doing to advance the quality, scale and success of retrofit in the UK. These include Greenworkx, Halcyan, Showerkap and Trust Electric Heating.

This year’s Big Retrofit Challenge winners presented their ideas at The National Retrofit Conference 2026, which took place at the Excel London from 12 – 14 May as part of Futurebuild and UK Construction Week London.

Martin Hurn, event director at Futurebuild, said:

“The Tier 1 contractors within the National Home Decarbonisation Group are setting the pace for retrofit innovation in the UK. By actively championing emerging solutions and accelerating their adoption at scale, they are driving the transformation our industry urgently needs. Futurebuild is proud to be the platform leading this movement, connecting bold innovators with the decision-makers who can turn ambition into action.”

Mike Pitts, deputy director – heat and buildings at Innovate UK, said:

“The Big Retrofit Challenge is designed to connect the best innovative solutions for upgrading homes with key major customers to accelerate adoption. Improving homes to address energy security, occupant health and fuel poverty is a major aim for the UK government and a huge opportunity globally. The UK has a wealth of high-growth potential businesses in this space, and this competition gives them the opportunity to showcase to those on the frontline of delivery.”

For more information about The National Retrofit Conference 2026, visit www.futurebuild.co.uk/national-retrofit-conference-programme