If residents aren’t at the heart of retrofit, we risk doing more damage than good

Where residents do not understand or trust the work, landlords will see higher refusal rates, more complaints and homes where installed measures are not used as intended. This undermines potential benefits for both residents and the environment.

When considering retrofit work, gaining the trust of residents is as important as the technology or the supply chain. Feedback from residents shows trust is built through relationships, clarity, honesty and following through on agreed actions.

“The government is also clear that the success of the Warm Homes Plan will be measured inside homes and through experiences, not just through the impact it has on our nation’s carbon emissions”

This is not new ground for housing associations. The Heartwarming Homes toolkit, which PlaceShapers developed with the Northern Housing Consortium and Tpas, has already set out practical approaches to communication, resident involvement and minimising disruption during works.

As the toolkit shows, putting residents at the heart of retrofit in practice means:

• Early conversations before works are scheduled, not just notification letters.
• Providing clear explanations of technologies in everyday language, including what will change in how the home feels or operates.
• Named contacts so residents know who to call when things go wrong.
• Providing support during disruption, particularly for older residents or those with health conditions.
• Following up after installation to check systems are working and understood.

As retrofit scales up, we hope these approaches will move from good practice to standard practice.

The government is also clear that the success of the Warm Homes Plan will be measured inside homes and through experiences, not just through the impact it has on our nation’s carbon emissions.  

The day after the launch of the Warm Homes Plan, we met the prime minister, as he was keen to talk to people about the how the plan would help in the cost-of-living crisis. Hightown Housing Association invited local contacts to the event, where Sir Keir talked warmly and enthusiastically about meeting residents who had experienced a big drop in their energy bills because their home had recently been insulated to make it more energy efficient.

“The Warm Homes Plan is an opportunity not just to improve homes, but to strengthen the relationship between landlords and residents”

Just a few weeks earlier, climate minister Katie White asked us to introduce her to residents who were living in new eco-friendly homes or whose homes had benefitted from energy efficiency improvements. The time she spent chatting to Kirstie from South Yorkshire Housing Association and Graham from Great Places told a more compelling story of the positive impact of living in a warm home that is cheaper to heat than anyone else could have done.

Both occasions were a reminder that, when trust is strong, residents with real experience are the strongest advocates for energy efficiency work. The idea of resident ambassadors is explored in more detail in the Heartwarming Homes toolkit.

It was clear the interest from both Sir Keir and Ms White was about the contribution reducing emissions from social housing could make to the UK’s net zero goals. But perhaps more importantly, they were also interested in the difference an energy-efficient home would make to the lives, health and bills of the people who live there.

The Warm Homes Plan is an opportunity not just to improve homes, but to strengthen the relationship between landlords and residents. If we get engagement right, retrofit can build trust as well as improve energy efficiency. If we get it wrong, we risk slowing delivery and leaving residents feeling that change has been done to them, not with them.

Warmer, greener, more affordable homes are the destination. Partnership with residents is the route that will get us there at scale.  

Catherine Ryder, chief executive, Placeshapers