Analysis of the growth characteristics of the UK’s Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Services (EERS) sector; lessons to be learnt from Germany

The adoption of the Green Deal policy within the UK saw an unprecedented move within policy. Government financial assistance which had been prevalent within previous policy landscapes had been reduced and instead private industry was charged with the task of providing the finance, delivery and management structure for national domestic low carbon retrofit. Therefore the energy efficiency retrofit services (EERS) sector needed to grow capacity and deliver at a larger scale than previously.

This research evaluates the present EERS sector landscape in relation to addressing the need for retrofit action increase. Germany, as a country widely acknowledged to have a successful domestic energy efficiency delivery strategy is utilised as a comparison case study to provide an indication on differing ways in which capacity growth can be generated. This paper details findings from on the ground individual interviews and group interviews on the expectations of the EERS sector, implications of these expectations, and ways in which the EERS sector is managing its roles in the delivery of retrofit, along with areas suggested for improvement and sector changes to produce retrofit at volume.

Key findings suggest that an emphasis is required on training to enable an increase in the capabilities of the EERS sector, and to also enable a heightening of the quality and variety of retrofit work delivered. Furthermore, findings detail the need for an understanding of how EERS sector business should communicate with end users to ensure that the sector adopts a professional approach to all areas of operation.