Carbon Co-op was awarded Energy Redress Scheme funding to deliver Retrofit for All, a two-year project from March 2024 to February 2026 in partnership with Shortwork and LSE Housing and Communities to advance people-centred approaches to retrofit. This was a continuation of the work carried out on the original Retrofit for All project.
The project worked with housing providers, contractors and tenants to understand the enablers and barriers to people-centred approaches to retrofit, using insights from initial research to define the challenges which need to be addressed across both practice and policy. We conducted participatory action research with tenants to reach, working with tenants to reach into their communities to understand peoples’ experiences of retrofit and what they think is needed to put tenants at the heart of publicly-funded schemes. We also conducted research with housing providers and contractors to understand the enablers and barriers to people-centred retrofit based on their experiences of the delivery of publicly-funded retrofit schemes.
This research informed a design process which co-produced, tested and piloted solutions which address the practical challenges housing providers, contractors and tenants face in delivering people-centred approaches to retrofit. We know that barriers to implementing these approaches are not just practical but also structural, and we have shared learning and worked in policy-making spaces to ensure people-centred approaches to retrofit are high on the agenda shaping future rounds of public funding for retrofit, such as the Warm Homes: Social Housing Funding at both a regional and national level.
Curious to dive deeper? Check out this film from our end-of-project webinar. Explore the key challenges in social housing retrofit, explain how our people-centred retrofit approach tackles them, and give a guided tour of the tools and resources we developed to help put this approach into practice. Speakers include Ellie Radcliffe (Project Manager), Aneaka Kellay (Engagement Lead), and Laura Williams (Energy Commons Communications Lead).
Published Project Resources
Easy Read and Plain English Guides
Created to make retrofit communication clearer and more accessible for tenants, these guides turn complex information into simple, supportive formats. They’re designed to help residents feel informed, confident, and genuinely involved in preparing their homes for retrofit.
Topics covered
- Energy Efficiency Improvements
- Loft Insulation
- External Wall Insulation
- Ventilation Work
- Air Source Heat Pumps
- Gas Meter Removal
Resident Liaison Officer Toolkit
The resident liaison officer (RLO) toolkit is designed to help housing providers build engagement strategies that work — and make them easy to put into practice.
We offer a variety of resources tailored to different topics:
???? Video – Hear from a senior manager, an RLO, and a resident about the Broadacres approach and the results it delivers.
???? Case Study 1 by Shortwork – How Broadacres’ in-house customer liaison model delivers better outcomes, faster and fairer.
???? Case Study 2 by Shortwork – How Broadacres works with contractors to build resident buy-in, removing barriers.
???? Practical Guide – The case for establishing RLOs in retrofit programmes, and practical guidance on how to support them.
Tenant Recruitment Toolkit
Designed to help housing providers build effective, people-centred strategies, the toolkit draws on Lancaster West’s pioneering tenant recruitment model—an approach that has built trust, improved services, and delivered retrofit success. It makes the case for recruiting tenants into retrofit roles and offers practical guidance on how to support them.
What’s available?
???? Video – Hear from senior managers and tenant employees about Lancaster West’s approach and its impact.
???? Case Study by Shortwork – How the tenant recruitment model delivers better and fairer outcomes for tenants, staff, and retrofit projects alike.
???? Practical Guide – Why social housing retrofit programmes should recruit tenants, the characteristics of successful resident skills and employment initiatives, and inspiration for putting the model into practice.
???? Want to go deeper? Explore the research behind the resources
Insights from Registered Providers and Delivery Partners
This report draws on conversations with social landlords and delivery partners across Greater Manchester. It sheds light on the structural, organisational and practical challenges of delivering people-centred retrofit — and highlights what is working well to overcome them.
Download here.
Tenants’ Experiences of Retrofit
A powerful collection of lived experiences from tenants who have completed, or are preparing for, retrofit works. The report offers an honest view of what retrofit really feels like: the disruption, the communication gaps, and the small but important things that helped tenants feel informed, respected and supported.
Download here.