Mace and Vinci among founders of new national retrofit group

Mace and Vinci are among the firms that have come together to create a new organisation to deliver retrofit at scale across the UK’s housing stock. 

The National Home Decarbonisation Group (NHDG) will support retrofit installations across all tenure types, representing tier one contractors and energy suppliers on a membership basis. 

Its objective is to establish a collaborative platform to help members grow the supply chain, advise on policy and stimulate innovation. 

The new group’s chair Derek Horrocks, who owns housing decarbonisation contractor Sustainable Building Services, said the group’s creation was a “defining moment” for the sector.  

“The industry has seen commitment to retrofit projects diluted or under-delivered in the past and we believe that central and devolved governments need to hear a strong, positive message from experienced industry contractors and stakeholders,” he added.  

“NHDG will be spearheading the charge for improvements, especially in skills and innovation, including the digitalisation of retrofit, increased off-site solutions, and the development of finance solutions to support the decarbonisation of the UK’s housing stock. 

“The continued long-term government commitment for the decarbonisation of 26 million UK homes to meet net zero targets by 2050 is critical, and we have already seen this ramp up significantly with £6.6 billion of Government investment over the current parliament and a further £6 billion pledged between 2025 and 2028 for the sector.” 

Horrocks added that “powerful collaboration” was necessary to meet the group’s target, which include the need for 200,000 more competent retrofitters by 2030. 

“We’re ready to invest and increase our wider resources collectively to ensure scaling the industry is a success,” he said. 

The NHDG predicts that the majority of the large-scale domestic retrofit work in the UK will be carried out by members in the coming years.