Supply chain at heart of Surrey’s decarbonisation plans, and new Retrofit Summit programme.

Installation of retrofit measures – including low energy heating systems, solar and insulation – is key in reducing emissions from Surrey’s buildings, which currently make up around half of all Surrey’s carbon emissions. Over £32m of funding has already been secured to scale-up retrofit across the county.

In its Climate Change Strategy published in 2020, Surrey County Council (Surrey CC) recognised the importance of retrofit to “meet more demanding energy efficiency standards…whilst delivering significant savings to residents” (Strategic Priority 1).

At the heart of the Council’s retrofit plans is a focus on building the supply chain, without which its ambitious target of 66% emissions reduction in the domestic housing sector by 2035 cannot be met. Spending on retrofit has the potential to make a significant contribution to Surrey’s economy, providing significant new business opportunities for Surrey enterprises.

With this in mind the Council has partnered with The Retrofit Academy and Low Carbon Homes to produce the first Surrey Retrofit Summit over the mornings of Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 June 2023 for daily online sessions from 9am-12pm.

Attendees will learn more from Surrey CC’s team about the plans to meet the skills, supply chain and financial opportunities, and the innovative solutions being developed in the market to meet future retrofit demand – and how local businesses and residents can navigate the complex topic and benefit from the County’s focus on the low carbon transition of homes.

Cllr Marisa Heath, Cabinet Member for Environment who’ll be opening the event on Tuesday 13th June states: “Retrofitting our homes and buildings will help all Surrey residents to reduce emissions and, at the same time, save money on energy bills, something which is key to the Council’s Climate Change Delivery Plan. We know we need to significantly scale the retrofit supply chain to meet the growing demand for energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures. The Surrey Retrofit Summit will bring together professionals from across the retrofit sector to understand the opportunities provided by retrofit, share best practice and hear what else is needed to meet the scale of retrofit required.”

With updates from Surrey CC’s energy team, and expert advice from The Retrofit Academy and other market experts the event will show supply chain businesses how to scale up their operations, and improve processes to win more business. Three mornings of online presentations and in-event meetings provide a flexible means of participation and learning for those working in the housing and construction sectors who want to be part of this exciting opportunity.

The Summit schedule will include – on morning one – an update on Surrey’s decarbonisation plans and retrofit one-stop-shop ambitions, supply chain opportunities and a showcase of recent retrofit success stories. On morning two speakers will focus on the skills, support and finance available to businesses to help them scale to install high volumes of housing fabric energy efficiency measures. On the final morning, attention will be on heating and energy businesses looking to pivot towards low carbon heat and storage, the scale of the retrofit market opportunity and how to access it.

We’ll hear from those who are building successful retrofit businesses each day, with plenty of insights and lessons shared to inspire those looking to grow their business or to enter the fast-emerging retrofit market.

The Surrey Retrofit Summit is free to attend online using the dynamic REMO event platform across three mornings from 0900-1130 from Tuesday 13 June to Thursday 15 June, enabling housing professionals, installers, contractors, consultants, architects, and surveyors to drop in from any location to suit their schedules. Q&A sessions with a panel of the morning’s speakers and mingling with peers, speakers and sponsors at the virtual conference tables provide high quality networking without the travel time.

To sign up to attend this free online event, go to https://lowcarbonhomes.uk/events.