If we need a retrofit war effort – where’s our army?

By Tor Burrows 2023-03-28T06:00:00

The case for a skilled workforce to adapt historic buildings is there and we have no time to waste, says Grosvenor’s Tor Burrows

In January, a cross-party group of MPs called for a “national war effort” on retrofit to improve the energy efficiency of the UK’s buildings, prolong their life and make them more cost-effective to run.

While there is no doubt that we urgently need to improve the energy efficiency of our buildings, retrofitting requires skilled workers, regardless of the age and construction of a building to, for instance, install heat pumps or remove gas boilers. But, as the Construction Leadership Council recently highlighted, a lack of confidence in long-term policy direction has impeded the sector’s ability to invest in low carbon skills.

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