New guide: practical retrofit routes for traditional homes
At a glance
- The Retrofit pathways for small social housing providers with traditional stock guide draws on support that Energiesprong UK delivered, through the Mayor of London’s Zero Carbon Accelerator, to 11 members of the g320 group of smaller housing associations in London, focusing on listed buildings, solid-wall properties and homes in conservation areas.
- The guide provides practical advice to support targeting Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C targets, preparing for the Home Energy Model (HEM) and planning cost-effective decarbonisation improvements.
- Housing providers can access tools, templates, checklists and case studies to support retrofit planning and delivery.
Small housing providers often manage some of the most difficult homes to decarbonise. These include listed buildings, solid-wall properties and homes in conservation areas.
This blog introduces a new guide for small housing providers, developed by Energiesprong UK through the Mayor of London’s Zero Carbon Accelerator.
The guide can help organisations:
- understand retrofit options for traditional homes
- prepare for EPC C and the Home Energy Model (HEM)
- identify which improvements to prioritise
- manage common retrofit challenges
- plan future investment with confidence.
This blog looks at how the guide was developed, the retrofit advice it provides, and the steps housing providers can take to prepare for EPC C and the Home Energy Model (HEM).
What does the retrofit pathways guide cover?
Energiesprong UK developed the Retrofit pathways for small social housing providers with traditional stock guide through support provided to 11 members of the g320 group, a network of smaller London housing associations.
The guide shares practical guidance based on project learnings for housing providers across the UK. It can help organisations balance regulatory requirements, resident wellbeing, heritage constraints, funding pressures and long‑term decarbonisation goals.
It outlines practical steps that housing providers can take today to improve the energy performance of traditional homes while preparing for future requirements.
How can the guide help small housing providers?
The guide provides practical advice on how to:
- identify and correct inaccurate EPC data
- prioritise low-disruption, cost-effective improvements for traditional buildings
- take a “heat pump ready” approach
- align works with planned maintenance
- manage risks around ventilation, moisture, overheating and climate resilience
- navigate planning, procurement, funding and resident engagement.
The guide follows Historic England’s Whole Building Approach for Historic Buildings and focuses on delivery in practice. It also includes tools, templates, checklists and case studies to support implementation.
Lillian Lochner, Project Manager at Energiesprong UK, said:
“Small housing providers face some of the most complex retrofit challenges in the sector. They are often responsible for historic and hard-to-treat homes, while working with limited resources and capacity.
This report is designed to bridge the gap between policy and delivery, providing practical, achievable guidance that helps organisations make informed investment decisions and develop realistic pathways towards net zero.”
How can housing providers prepare for EPC C and the Home Energy Model (HEM)?
Many of the actions outlined in the guide can help housing providers respond to changing energy performance requirements. Organisations need to balance immediate compliance targets with longer-term decarbonisation goals.
Social housing providers are working towards EPC C by 2030. At the same time, the Home Energy Model (HEM) will change how organisations measure building performance.
The guide outlines a clear route to targeting EPC and HEM compliance and helps organisations plan long‑term investment.