Stafford, 10th November 2025 – In a year when national audits exposed widespread defects in home insulation schemes, The Retrofit Academy (TRA) is calling time on poor practice and leading a race to the top in retrofit – a national movement to rebuild trust, competence, and care in how we decarbonise homes.
At HOMES UK 2025 (25–26 November, ExCeL London), TRA will shine a spotlight on how skills, quality, and education can turn recent scandals into a new standard of excellence – where quality isn’t an afterthought but the foundation of every funded retrofit project.
Recent National Audit Office findings revealed that as many as 98% of external wall insulation installs under ECO/GBIS require corrective work, driving damp, mould, and poor resident outcomes. With Awaab’s Law now enforcing strict timelines for hazard remediation, the message for local authorities and social housing providers is clear: the sector cannot afford a race to the bottom.
“We’ve all seen what happens when cost-cutting and corner-cutting take priority over competence,” said David Pierpoint, Chief Executive of The Retrofit Academy. “This is our moment to flip the narrative – to lead a race to the top in retrofit. That means investing in skills, quality, and resident wellbeing so the homes we improve today remain warm, healthy, and efficient for decades.”
At Stand U864, The Retrofit Academy team will meet with local authorities, housing associations, and delivery partners to share practical routes to better retrofit outcomes through:
- Specialist training and qualifications for all PAS 2035 roles – from Retrofit Coordinator to Assessor – ensuring projects are compliant, competent, and accountable.
- The Level 3 Award in Domestic Retrofit Advice, a key course designed for Resident and Tenant Engagement Officers, empowering them to support households through the retrofit process, address concerns, and strengthen trust between landlords and residents.
- Strategic support for clients and delivery partners, embedding quality assurance, risk management, and verification into SHDF and HUG programmes.
- Knowledge-sharing and best practice exchange, helping the sector upskill, reduce rework, and create a culture of continuous improvement.
- Sector-wide collaboration with government and industry bodies to align funding and policy frameworks with long-term capacity building.
While government reviews have found no widespread issues in SHDF delivery thanks to stronger oversight, The Retrofit Academy warns that scaling retrofit without a skilled workforce risks repeating past mistakes. At HOMES UK, the organisation will champion a “competence-first” national approach – one that rewards good practice, protects residents, and accelerates net zero housing goals.
“A warm home must also be a healthy home,” added Pierpoint. “Every retrofit decision should put residents first. The Race to the Top isn’t just about performance standards – it’s about people, trust, and pride in doing the job right.”