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| NOVEMBER 2022 | UTILITY WEEK
Case study
Going Dutch
With calls for energy efficiency reaching fever pitch, Ian Hutchcroft
examines why the UK needs to get much more ambitious with
retrofit, and how the Dutch may have the perfect model to replicate.
A
s the stark reality of the energy crisis unfolded
this summer, it was hard to truly comprehend
the devastation this winter will bring as multiple
35C-plus heatwaves blazed across the country. We do,
however, know it will be beyond anything we've seen in
recent years.
Government intervention will bring some welcome
short-term relief. Yet, as many experts have pointed out,
immediately investing in a national retrofit programme
offers a sensible, long-term solution.
At Energiesprong UK, we know that it's also essen-
tial we take a different approach to how things have
traditionally been done – a departure which offers new
opportunities for the utilities sector.
We must rethink retrofit
The way we currently deliver retrofit – on-site, incre-
mentally and using traditional building methods – won't
deliver the results we need at the scale, speed or cost
required for the climate crisis or the millions of people
about to be plunged into fuel poverty.
What's the alternative? Over the past seven years,
we have been pioneering a revolutionary deep retrofit
model called Energiesprong in the UK. It's a successful
Dutch-developed standard and funding approach for
whole-house refurbishment and new-build.
It is designed to unlock zero carbon retrofit at scale,
paid for by energy and maintenance savings and
delivered by a new high-tech British industry – resulting
in performance, comfort and low costs long term, and
warm, affordable, desirable homes for life.
Homes are fully insulated using off-site manufactured
wall and roof panels in conjunction with pre-assembled
"energy pods" – systems which manage a home's retro-
fitted renewable technologies, energy storage and smart
controls. When coupled with appropriate tariffs, this
Photo:
Tracey
Whitefoot
Ian Hutchcroft,
director,
Energiesprong UK