FAQ: Do we need to become retrofit experts before launching the service?
Organisational FAQ: We're starting a new series addressing some of the frequently asked questions that come up during our discovery calls with various organisations.
The plan is to publish at least four parts here on our blog, perhaps more.
Watch this space!
Exploring the skills, partnerships and organisational capabilities needed to develop a trusted community-led retrofit service.
For community organisations looking to develop local retrofit services, questions about technical expertise and organisational capacity often arise early (though in some cases, maybe not early enough!).
While lots of community energy groups, social enterprises and charities already have experience engaging householders, delivering energy projects or coordinating local environmental initiatives, expanding into retrofit can introduce new and more complex responsibilities for teams. Building assessment, technical design, construction, project management and quality assurance - key considerations for retrofit services - often influence staffing, partnerships, operating costs and the long term sustainability of the business model.
Over the years, we’ve had lots of conversations with community organisations, social enterprises and others, and we’ve distilled some of the things we think you need to have a think about below. Note that this is not exhaustive and we’ll be sharing more on other themes in the future.
Any of these resonate with you that you’d like to talk to us about? Get in touch.
Understanding the different roles within retrofit delivery
Retrofit services can encompass a wide range of activities, from initial engagement and general advice through to technical assessments, design, contractor procurement etc. Organisations may focus on one particular stage or develop a more comprehensive service supporting householders throughout their projects.
Each approach requires different combinations of expertise, organisational processes and financial resources. A community group providing introductory advice will have different responsibilities from an organisation producing technical specifications or overseeing installation works.
When launching People Powered Retrofit, we adopted the role of an independent householder intermediary, supporting clients in understanding their options, planning improvements, supporting contractor procurement and managing quality. The organisation remained separate from the businesses carrying out installation work, allowing us to focus on independent advice so that we could generate trust with clients and help them make key decisions.
For new organisations, it’s important to establish - and be clear about - the scope of your services. Don’t try to be everything to every household or client that contacts you. This will help clarify which capabilities are needed and where additional investment may be required.
Recognising and building on organisational strength
Community-led organisations often already possess some incredible organisational strengths. Embedded in the very communities they are looking to serve, organisations often deeply understand residents' concerns, local priorities and already have experience building relationships with householders. It’s important not to underestimate these strengths, as they are key to building trust and confidence and are particularly valuable in owner-occupied retrofit, where decisions about home improvements are often influenced by personal circumstances, confidence and trust in the advice being received.
Our early research found that householders often struggled with conflicting information, technical complexity and concerns about the quality of work. While technical knowledge is - of course - essential, the ability to communicate clearly, understand individual needs and provide professional support can be just as important in helping householders navigate the retrofit process.
The original partnership between Carbon Co-op and URBED demonstrated the benefits of combining complementary expertise. Carbon Co-op contributed community engagement and experience of working with householders, while URBED brought specialist knowledge of architecture, building performance and retrofit design.
For organisations developing services today, recognising existing strengths is a useful starting point for identifying where additional skills and expertise are needed. Some may already have technical expertise but require stronger community engagement capacity, while others may have established local relationships and need support from experienced retrofit professionals. The aim isn't necessarily to develop every capability in-house, but to understand what the organisation can contribute and where it will need to work with others.
Check out our Resources page for more inspiration.
Understanding technical responsibilities
For organisations establishing services, the level of technical expertise required will depend on the responsibilities they accept. General advice may be delivered by staff with a sound understanding of retrofit principles and appropriate referral processes, while detailed assessments, design and technical oversight require suitably competent professionals - with the appropriate qualifications, experiences and insurances to boot.
It's important to understand these requirements from the outset. Organisations need to know where their own competence begins and ends, what activities require specialist input and who will be accountable for the advice, assessments or work being delivered. This helps ensure that services are designed around the expertise available, rather than taking on responsibilities that the organisation isn't yet equipped to fulfil - and finding yourself in trouble down the road.
Developing expertise through partnerships
Consider carefully how your organisation will recruit and utilise expertise. Working with freelance or external retrofit assessors, coordinators, architects and other technical professionals can provide access to specialist skills without immediately recruiting a large in-house team. This can be particularly useful while an organisation is testing demand or delivering a relatively small number of projects.
However, partnerships need clear arrangements for responsibilities, communication and management. Householders should understand which organisation is providing each service and who is accountable for the advice or work being delivered. Organisations need to agree - and be clear about - how quality is maintained, how intellectual property (IP) is protected, and how complaints may be managed, amongst others. Remember that partnerships should deliver mutual benefit, and can very often take lots of coordination, management and trust to deliver - it should not be considered the ‘easy’ option.
Our 2019 research recommended that community energy organisations seeking to develop sustainable retrofit services should invest in their own professional skills and staff capacity rather than relying entirely on external provision. Retaining organisational knowledge can help improve service quality, strengthen customer relationships and support future business development.
A practical approach may involve developing internal capabilities in customer engagement, service coordination and project administration while accessing specialist technical expertise through trusted partners. As demand increases, organisations can review which activities would benefit from greater in-house capacity.
Working with existing local contractors
The availability of suitably experienced contractors is another common concern for organisations entering the retrofit sector. Our early research identified opportunities to build on existing refurbishment, maintenance and improvement contractors who already possess construction experience and established local relationships.
While delivering high-quality retrofit often requires additional knowledge of building performance, insulation, airtightness and moisture management, existing contractors may be able to develop these capabilities through targeted training and technical support.
We explore how contractors could be supported through clear specifications, specialist guidance and quality assurance processes. For organisations developing local services, understanding the skills already available can help identify opportunities for training and collaboration while contributing to local employment and economic development.
Building organisational capacity over time
Developing services gradually can help organisations manage financial commitments while gaining practical experience. An initial offer might focus on advice and access to assessments, with additional services introduced as demand and delivery capacity develop.
This approach provides opportunities to understand customer needs, evaluate delivery costs and identify where investment in staff or partnerships is justified. It also allows organisations to improve internal systems for managing projects, customer information and quality assurance.
For smaller organisations, balancing recruitment costs with the use of external expertise is an important part of financial planning. Developing internal knowledge and reliable operating systems can improve resilience and reduce dependence on individual staff members or partners.
Choosing a model that reflects your organisation's strengths
There is no single model for developing a community-led retrofit service. Organisations bring different combinations of experience, skills, capacity and ambitions, and the right approach will depend on their starting point and the needs of the communities they serve.
By recognising existing strengths, identifying gaps in expertise and building relationships with trusted technical partners, organisations can develop a service that plays to their strengths while ensuring householders receive the professional support they need.
Ultimately, developing a trusted retrofit service is about bringing the right capabilities together, not necessarily having them all under one roof. Organisations can start with what they already know and do well, build on their existing relationships and develop additional expertise and capacity as their service grows.
