Piers Williamson, Chair of Sustainability for Housing (SfH), chaired the launch event for a new report: “Intelligent Measured Data. Smarter Retrofit. Better Outcomes” on 16th October. He was joined by a panel of industry experts from Lloyds, The Good Economy, Senze and Bromford Flagship.
The report explores how measured retrofit data, as opposed to modelled data, can increase cost efficiencies and enhance retrofit outcomes in the social housing sector.
It was commissioned by Lloyds and prepared by The Good Economy, secretariat for SfH. The 3rd party data verification was conducted by Birmingham City University and the independent unit cost data for retrofit interventions was provided by CFP Green Buildings.
The report’s findings are based on a pilot study of 121 properties owned by housing provider Bromford Flagship. Monitoring technology from Senze was used in the sample homes to measure the actual measured thermal performance of each home. This was followed by an assessment of the recommended retrofit works, costs and potential implications of implementing them against Bromford Flagship’s expected spend, which is based on a traditional EPC-informed approach.
The pilot’s approach differs from traditional EPC approaches, which often rely on modelled data from surveys, standardised calculations and assumptions to estimate how a building performs now and how it should perform after targeted retrofit interventions.
Although based on a small sample size, the pilot’s findings are compelling and have the potential to reshape how housing associations view their retrofit strategies. The data corroborates the widely acknowledged view that EPCs often provide inaccurate conclusions about actual thermal performance.
Interestingly, older properties in the sample generally outperformed their modelled EPC-based predictions, whereas the actual thermal performance of many newer properties was lower than their EPC scores indicate. These findings could lead to more efficient allocation of retrofit investment, better environmental performance and greater social impact.
Discussions at the launch event centred around the importance of data intelligence in driving retrofit agendas and improving social outcomes. In the case of Senze, its sensors can provide an accurate reading of thermal performance while monitoring air quality, energy usage and damp and mould in real time. On top of providing greater accuracy, the use of live performance data will be key for net zero verification in the years to come.
The event’s conversations naturally steered toward finance and policy. When asked about how smart data technologies should be financed, Piers reasoned that the investment should be shared by a combination of banks, institutional investors, Government grant and housing association balance sheets. He warned against overcomplicating the funding cocktail, emphasising that the social housing sector is one of, if not the most successful private-public partnership in the UK.
Piers also drew links between the use of real, measured data and the Sustainability Reporting Standard for Social Housing (SRS). Just as smart sensor systems enable housing associations to track the real energy performance of their homes, the SRS assists providers with measuring, monitoring and improving upon their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance in a transparent and evidence-based manner.
The event concluded with a poignant reminder that people – not technologies or thermal scores – are at the heart of retrofit. Housing associations should, therefore, prioritise collaboration with tenants when undertaking work in their homes and focus on the benefits to their wellbeing and financial security.
Speaking about the report, Chinyelu Oranefo, Managing Director at Lloyds Corporate & Institutional, said: “Lloyds is committed to supporting the housing sector so it’s been exciting to explore the potential impact of an intelligent data-led retrofit approach on both cost and customer experience. We hope the report serves as a blueprint for others and we’d encourage those within the sector to explore the findings and to join the conversation around how scalable proptech could help accelerate the transition to Net Zero.”
The “Intelligent Measured Data. Smarter Retrofit. Better Outcomes” report can be read in full here. If you missed the launch event, you can watch the replay here.
