An important part of LoCASE’s (Low Carbon Across the South and East) work is to provide funding for businesses “to develop or improve their ‘green’ product/service” and to transfer learning from successful pilots in retrofit and low carbon business development.
The South East Retrofit Summit, hosted by LoCASE and featuring 20 speakers across three mornings, will build on this with day one featuring presentations on retrofit roll-outs from those at the domestic retrofit coalface such as Russell Smith of Parity Projects who will summarise the lessons learned from the Retrofit Works-led Cosy Homes Oxfordshire and Warmer Sussex pilots – spoiler alert: Oxfordshire worked well while Sussex less so.
Day two will look at the successful programmes that have been or are still being delivered in different counties that could be scaled up across the region with the right support. Examples will include the Solar Together model – a domestic solar PV collective buying scheme, and the ground source heat pump heat network just delivered by Kensa with Gravesham Borough Council.
Day three will explore where the gaps and opportunities are for businesses in the supply chain to grow and deliver on the Government’s ambitious targets for home insulation and electrification of heating systems, and how those businesses can de-risk rapid scaling up by accessing funding, training and investment, as well as securing their order book and revenue streams through efficient and business-friendly procurement frameworks. The infrastructure procurement model from the Haven Gateway project will be discussed as an example of how to distribute major investment opportunities among local suppliers in a region with an estimated 88% of homes in need of energy efficiency measures – in Kent and Medway alone this amounts to over 680,000 properties.
Providing event funding and decarbonisation technical expertise are partners:: Adaptavate, Ambion Heating, E.ON, Mixergy, Panasonic and Stelrad who are sponsoring the South East Retrofit Summit on 18-20 October, and the following Birmingham Summit in December
The South East Summit will be staged online using the dynamic REMO event platform across the three mornings from 9am-12pm, enabling installers, contractors, consultants, surveyors, housing providers and local authority staff to dip in from any location to suit their schedules. Q&A sessions with a panel of the morning’s speakers and mingling with peers, speakers and sponsors at the virtual conference tables provides a golden and rare opportunity to ask questions and get personal advice from experts working in this field.
Opening the event on Tuesday 18th October, Kent County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Susan Carey, said:
“Retrofit is a vital part of reaching Net Zero by 2050 and encompasses skills, jobs and business opportunities in making people’s homes more comfortable and less costly to run. This conference will be sharing real life experience of what works and what doesn’t as well as providing the chance for people to network. Anyone interested in achieving Net Zero will benefit from attending.”
If you are an installer or a retrofit professional looking to grow your business, or a local authority or housing provider staff member looking to deliver on a retrofit or climate change strategy, Low Carbon Homes Retrofit Summits have proven to be must-attend events which will repay your investment in time – over and over.
To sign up to attend this free online event, go to https://lowcarbonhomes.uk/