Road to Net Zero Feature Get retrofi t right
Martin Hitchin of REHAU UK highlights how retrofi tting window and door frames, alongside the necessary supply chain collaboration, is a vital component of improving thermal performance and meeting net zero targets across the sector.
T
he residential sector accounts for approximately 18% of the UK’s carbon emissions, with social landlords owning 17% of the nation’s housing stock. T is means social housing accounts for roughly 3% of the nation’s
carbon footprint. Yet this is not the only concern – homes in the 1980s were not built to modern thermal performance and sustainability standards. Despite these concerns, the social housing sector must still meet legally mandatory UK decarbonisation benchmarks, including a 78% reduction in emissions by 2035 and net zero by 2050. Additionally, the UK’s Clean Growth Strategy requires social housing
providers to attain Energy Performance Certifi cate C for rented properties by 2035, or 2030 for ‘fuel poor’ households. T is legislative landscape presents clear obstacles for the social housing sector.
SEEING A PATH FORWARD Despite this, funding is available to help progress the sector’s sustainability goals, including the £1.5bn awarded in 2022 through the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, which was bolstered by an additional £1.25bn in 2023. Support can also come from the Home Upgrade Grant, the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and the Warm Homes Plan. Social housing stakeholders must ask themselves what cost-eff ective
components will have the greatest impact on a property’s thermal performance. REHAU’s latest white paper, ‘Retrofi t Right – Making Social Housing More Energy-Effi cient’, highlights how windows and door systems, as prominent sources of heat loss, play a crucial role in decarbonising existing social housing stock. Carrying out ‘medium retrofi ts’ – fi tting high-quality frames on existing
homes – can markedly and cost-eff ectively improve thermal performance across social housing portfolios. However, this is reliant on an informed component specifi cation process, which is key to ensuring existing funding works as hard as possible. T e report goes on to explore the thermal effi ciency, noise attenuation,
security, and ventilation standards to consider when specifying new frames. It advises specifi ers to leverage third-party expertise for retrofi tting projects to bridge knowledge gaps and ease workload burdens as construction activity increases. Specifi cally, it emphasises that ensuring high-quality supply chains,
including engaging installers and fabricators working to third-party certifi cations, is crucial for eff ective retrofi tting works. Adherence to these accreditations and standards demonstrates to local authority and social housing stakeholders that projects will be completed on time, within budget, and with high-quality components.
PURSUING POLYMER In an environment where energy effi ciency is crucial, the thermal performance of polymer frames stands out as a way to reduce carbon footprints. PVCu, the UK’s most popular material for windows and doors due to its durability, aff ordability, and lightweight properties, has become one of the most sustainable construction materials available. Innovations in frame design have signifi cantly improved the thermal performance of polymer systems, while also enhancing solar gain, condensation reduction, airtightness, indoor comfort and overall security. PVCu frames can also now achieve the Building Research Establishment’s
Road to Net Zero 31
Social housing accounts for roughly 3% of the nation’s carbon footprint
‘A’ rating under the Green Guide to Specifi cation, a key resource for selecting construction materials based on their environmental impact. Polymer’s sustainability is further enhanced by its recycling capabilities, as
it can be recycled up to 10 times before showing signs of degradation. Given the average lifespan of a PVCu frame is 35 years, combined with appropriate recycling infrastructure, polymer is a sustainable, long-lasting material.
GOING BEYOND THE POINT OF PURCHASE Material considerations are key, but social housing stakeholders should not solely focus on point of purchase when selecting window and door systems for retrofi tting works. T e ongoing performance and adaptability of specifi c frames are crucial for ensuring energy-effi cient properties and reducing building stock emissions. Local Authority and Housing association maintenance teams play an important role in this, as explored in ‘Retrofi t Right’. In the event of further installation work including repairs or installing frame
accessories, it is vital this can be completed quickly and cost-eff ectively. Indeed, these ‘data-driven’ digital technologies can streamline remedial works. With maintenance teams increasingly time-poor and overstretched, a protracted process of communication, property inspections, and material procurement will only exacerbate the situation. Consequently, ways of streamlining this process are likely to become of increasing interest to social housing project stakeholders as more upgrading works are greenlit.
Housing Management & Maintenance April/May 2025
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