Retrofit at Scale: Labour Intensive Approach and Capital Intensive Approaches for Housing Retrofit in the UK

To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, decarbonising building operations by energy retrofitting has become a crucial priority. The UK's building stock is ageing and the country is in the early stages of retrofitting. The scale of the work makes retrofitting a multi-billion-pound industry. Two primary approaches are emerging: the labour-intensive approach, relying on people and the capital-intensive approach, relying on capital and technology. This study employs a ten-question framework to explore the suitability of each approach. Findings highlight the diverse challenges in the UK energy retrofit industry. This study posits a hypothesis favouring a labour-intensive approach for energy retrofit in the UK. It does not exclude capital but advocates for leveraging existing resources to enhance skills rather than replacing them. Capital-intensive approaches are recommended as a top-up approach. The study's value lies in its potential to inform policy on optimising investments in energy retrofit to meet net-zero targets, considering sociotechnical factors.