A report on emergent retrofit practices in UK commercial property sector - UoR Jan 08, 2014

The new report entitled "City-wide or City blind?" is based on research led by professor Tim Dixon of the School of Construction Management and Engineering at University of Reading (UoR). It analyses emergent retrofit practices in the UK commercial property sector.

The report identifies big challenges in retrofitting UK commercial property at city scale. Better performance data, more information about technologies, mandatory Display Energy Certificates (DECs) and incentives are among its recommendations to deliver the needed change.

The report was based on nearly 40 interviews with major stakeholders in commercial property and looked at current and future trends to determine the challenges in retrofitting at city scale. The work formed part of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council’s (EPSRC) Retrofit 2050 programme and was carried out with input from Oxford Brookes University.

The commercial property sector needs a consistent definition for retrofit and to broaden its current focus on energy saving to encompass water and waste economy, the report found. Major changes to policy and practice recommended in the report include:

- Mandatory DECs underpinned by commercial and regulation incentives
- Tax incentives, e.g, stamp duty reductions for more energy efficient property
- Increased support from the UK Green Investment Bank at city level
- An approved products and suppliers list to inform users of retrofit technologies
- Better performance in use data and improved support for new and emerging technologies
- Clearer consistency in commercial retrofit assessment standards
- Better consistency in monitoring and verification standards

Tim Dixon said: “This research shows that the commercial property sector still has much to do in order to connect with the wider community in cities. Part of the problem lies in finding a consistent definition for retrofit, but we also need to have an integrated retrofit focus on energy, water and waste, and not just energy. This is a very different sector from domestic property, and its diversity, complexity and its risk-averse nature all present big challenges.”

A summary of the "City-wide or City blind?" report analysis of emergent retrofit practices in the UK commercial property sector is available here.