Driving Sector-Wide Change
Innovation
Working Group
The innovation Working Group is supporting innovative solutions that accelerate retrofit
The Innovation Working Group supports cutting-edge ideas, products and services that will deliver impact and drive improvement in the retrofit sector. Members are involved in developing practical solutions to overcome common challenges for innovators, including the cost to develop, certify and produce products and services. Through our engagement, we aim to support innovators to grow and bring proven solutions to market.
The group also works to shape the policy landscape to support innovation and deliver on our net-zero objectives. With support from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and industry bodies including Innovate UK, the group aims to develop industry-wide solutions and help to shape the national innovation environment in the retrofit sector.
Innovation Working Group Chairperson
Meet Alex Freeman, Partnerships Manager at InstaGroup and Chair of the Innovation Working Group. Alex leads the group’s priority to turn discussion into action by driving collaboration, championing cutting-edge ideas and helping innovative solutions reach the market efficiently without compromising on quality.
“Building on the strong foundations laid by previous Chairs, I look forward to advancing the Group’s ongoing work programme and supporting initiatives such as the Big Retrofit Challenge, in partnership with Futurebuild and Innovate UK. My focus will be on harnessing the collective expertise of our members to champion practical innovation and help accelerate the decarbonisation of homes across the UK.”
Pillar One
Accelerate Innovation Readiness and Reduce Barriers to Market
The working group is committed to supporting and advocating for clearer routes to market for innovative technologies. Our work aims to enable innovators with proven technologies to access funding schemes and deliver benefits for households and communities. As part of this, the working group continues to deliver the Big Retrofit Challenge – an industry-wide competition that platforms smaller innovators in the retrofit sector and aims to accelerate their journey to market. Delivered in partnership with Innovate UK and Futurebuild, the competition prioritises early-stage, high-potential solutions that can address the biggest challenges in the retrofit sector. Please see our Big Retrofit Challenge page for more information on this year’s competition.
Pillar Two
Expand Cross-Sector Collaboration and Knowledge-Sharing
Our members are committed to developing practical routes to market for innovators, with collaboration central to success. By bringing together NHDG members, innovators, NHDG clients and wider delivery partners, the group works to facilitate knowledge sharing and support pathways for continued engagement to directly address common barriers to innovation. Through the Big Retrofit Challenge, winners are platforms on the National Retrofit Conference stage at Futurebuild and connect directly with NHDG members and wider stakeholders.
Through our partnerships with organisations such as Innovate UK and Futurebuild, the working group has created a platform to offer tangible support for innovators and their emerging solutions.
Pillar Three
Strengthen Resident-Centred Innovation and Engagement
Keeping residents at the heart of innovation is essential to build trust, reduce disruption and ensure retrofit is done with residents, not to them. The Working Group champions innovation that puts residents at the centre of retrofit delivery. Our members are committed to ensuring new technologies and approaches deliver real, tangible benefits for households across all tenures. Through initiatives such as the Big Retrofit Challenge, we spotlight innovations that prioritise resident needs with solutions ranging from technologies focusing on improving energy efficiency, indoor air quality and preventing mould, including tailored solutions for harder-to-treat properties, to services aimed at Local Authorities and landlords to support the delivery of high-quality home upgrades that reinvest in local communities.
We engage with clients across the retrofit sector to demonstrate the value of investing in innovative solutions, helping to build confidence in cutting-edge ideas that improve comfort, health, affordability and resident experience. Through close engagement with innovators, we platform solutions that are developed, designed and installed to the highest standards, and that deliver meaningful outcomes for residents.
Useful Definitions
Innovation
The NHDG’s definition of innovation is ‘a product or service that represents improvement from the ‘status quo.’. It is important for the NHDG to support a broad definition of innovation which encompasses not only physical products that can be installed in homes but also innovative ways of providing or improving a service, process or methodology used to produce high quality work or to engage customers and clients.
PAS 2035/2030
PAS 2035/2030 is the standard that represents best practice for whole house retrofit. It is a requirement for most government funding schemes. For a business to get PAS certification, they must go through an approval process which can be lengthy and expensive. This can be a challenge for smaller organisations who may not have the financial support of a well-established organisation behind them. While PAS is essential for promoting high quality retrofit, its complex approval process can be a barrier.
Digital Innovation
Digital innovation refers to the use of advanced technologies to produce new products, services, process or methodologies for housing retrofit. For example, drones can be used for thermal imaging, which can help to identify where heat is leaking from a home. Digital innovation is an essential part of home decarbonisation as it can improve efficiency, reduce cost and the sustainability of retrofit projects.
Consumer Protection
Consumer protection for energy efficiency measures falls under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) along with a number of certification, guarantee and warranty schemes. However, the currently fragmented consumer protection landscape can be difficult to navigate for consumers. The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) provides technical standards for renewable technologies and TrustMark provides quality assurance for other retrofit measures like insulation.