Optimised Retrofit Programme to transform over 1,000 social housing properties in Wales

A new Welsh Government initiative backed by almost £20m has been launched to transform the quality and sustainability of social housing in Wales and boost the green economic recovery.

The Optimised Retrofit Programme (ORP) is funding a suite of smart energy efficiency measures that will help Wales move towards a net-zero carbon economy and is a key part of the Welsh Government’s plans for a green recovery.

The ORP takes a whole-house approach, looking at all aspects of a building, from the way it is heated through to supply mechanisms. The programme is overseeing the deployment of innovative new technologies that will make energy costs more manageable, reduce whole-life carbon and improve whole-life value.

This investment will enable the housing sector to test and demonstrate different technologies and approaches that improve the quality of housing Wales.

The Active Building Centre Research Programme is supporting the ORP by working with Social Landlords successful in their applications to deploy monitoring equipment as well as their supply chain partners to implement intelligent energy systems. Appropriate deployment of these technologies is key to ensuring effective data collection on building performance and enabling evidence-based decision making to enable the programme to scale.

To provide deeper insight into how occupants feel about these new interventions in their homes, the Social Sciences teams from the ABC-RP will be undertaking project lifecycle research activities. This will help shape future interventions and ensure that a user-centred approach is adopted for larger-scale retrofit programmes.

“One of the most exciting elements of the programme is that all stakeholders are committed to the underlying principles of this investment by Welsh Government. We have a shared vision and there is a clear understanding of the whole-life benefits that the programme is striving for.” – Josh Sykes, Head of Technology, Active Building Centre Research Programme

It is hoped that successful projects will improve the pipeline of innovative technologies being deployed to accelerate decarbonisation and help grow supply chains in Wales.

To learn more about the project, contact us via info@abc-rp.com.