Insulation Feature


Insulation 23


The great retrofi t challenge


Retrofi tting the UK’s ageing homes is now an urgent priority. Simon Storer of the Insulation Manufacturers Association highlights the challenges and opportunities of meeting evolving safety, sustainability, and effi ciency standards through eff ective insulation solutions.


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t is well known that the UK has some of the least energy effi cient and worst maintained homes in Europe, with nearly six million houses built before 1919 and over half built before the fi rst insulation requirements were added


to the Building Regulations in 1965. T ese ageing, poorly insulated homes lose substantial heat and are in varying states of repair. But the sheer volume and variability of the UK’s older building stock requires tailored retrofi tting approaches, not a simple one-size-fi ts-all solution.


A SHIFTING REGULATORY LANDSCAPE In contrast, higher standards for energy effi ciency have been introduced for new build housing: the new and updated Part L of the Building Regulations for England came into force in June 2022, followed by new energy effi ciency


updates in Scotland and Wales in November and December 2022. T e Future Homes Standard is currently under consultation. While these standards are not yet good enough and more will need to be done to meet the net zero challenge, there is very little to promote and deliver the improvements needed for existing buildings. T e Government’s Warm Homes Plan represents a potentially important


step forward. With £3.4bn allocated over three years (roughly £1.1bn annually) the plan introduces grants and low-interest loans to support investments in insulation, solar panels, batteries, and low-carbon heating systems. T ese measures aim to lower energy bills and reduce emissions, helping to address the UK’s notoriously ineffi cient housing stock. If we are to move to a net zero carbon country by 2050 (2045 in Scotland), it will be vital to make


Housing Management & Maintenance June/July 2025


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