Retrofitting empty housing stock is a critical step in any city, town, or authority area’s approach to reaching net-zero carbon emissions.

Retrofitting empty homes reduces demand for new builds, improves energy efficiency, and promotes a circular economy. Action on Empty Homes is committed to increasing the supply of low-carbon affordable homes from empty homes by working with communities and other partners to build local skills and supply chains.  For information about our involvement in empty home retrofitting, please refer to the following resources:

 

In June 2022 we began a new project examining the feasibility of community-led empty home retrofitting. We aim to collate our research on financing options, skills training, and supply chain development in order to produce a model for community-led retrofitting that will work anywhere. Read more about our project: Click here 

 

As part of our Retrofit Call to Action, Action on Empty Homes is calling for local authorities, policy leads, and housing activists to prioritize the retrofitting and renovation of empty housing stock across the country. Read our four strategic priorities for government-backed national programmes here: Click here

 

Cities Race to Zero (CRZ) is an international coalition of cities, towns, and regional governments committed to achieving net-zero carbon. Action on Empty Homes calls on CRZ and COP 27 to integrate empty home retrofitting into their core strategies. Read our statement below: Click here

To sign up to our Retrofit Call To Action CLICK HERE

To read the Call to Action see below:

Or download a pdf here

The Retrofit Call To Action launched during our series of COP26 events in 2021, several of these virtual events are available to view on YouTube.

They feature expert speakers discussing the challenge presented by Britain's aging and poorly insulated housing stock and how work on empty homes can kickstart the process, test approaches and build skills,  experience and local supply chains.

You can still watch our COP26 events from 2021:

The COP26 Retrofitting Empty Homes event took place online on Thursday 11th November 2021 and featured input from the Architects Climate Action Network, The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership and The Welsh School of Architecture:

Watch the recording on YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl8hlhyIGZE    

The COP26 Climate Fringe Week event was also live-streamed and a recording is available on Youtube https://youtu.be/WO-aYqYCXy8

You may also be interested in a blog prepared for National Empty Homes Week 2022 looking at the retrofit of historic almshouse homes in Matlock, here

If you would like to read more on why the Retrofit Call To Action deserves your support, our Consultancy and Projects Manager, Brighid Carey explains here

Beyond calling for action...

We take action with live projects and new research:

New funding for a Deep Retrofit Project

We’ve been awarded funding from Esmee Fairbairn Foundation to undertake a one-year feasibility study to test and evaluate the viability of community-led Retrofit Empty Homes Action Partnerships (REHAPs). Each REHAP would fully retrofit empty homes as they are renovated, deliver green skills work-experience and training and build local supply chain markets, which together will help drive action on climate change at the local level. The feasibility study will run in three local authority areas.

For more on this project - see our 'Current Projects' page here