Metis Develops Model for Mass Low-Carbon Retrofit
Tom Woolley argues that the UK has experimented with retrofit approaches long enough. With Metis’s model proven in Oxfordshire, the country must now deliver fully-funded retrofit at scale.
Proven Success of Metis Partnership
Working with Oxfordshire County Council, Metis has demonstrated that large-scale low-carbon retrofit is sound technically, financially, and socially. The focus now must shift from pilot projects to full delivery.
Moving to Scalable Retrofit Solutions
Woolley emphasizes the need to make retrofit as straightforward and scalable as a mobile phone subscription. Existing technologies—solar panels, batteries, and heat pumps—have been proven effective for decades, and their costs are rapidly declining.
Addressing Delivery Challenges
The missing piece is a delivery model that ensures these technologies are accessible, affordable, and trusted by average households. Many pilots targeted individual technologies rather than streamlining the process to implement them widely.
Risks of Stalled Progress
Without turning proven innovations into large-scale deployment, the UK risks missing important Net Zero targets. Local authorities face barriers like limited funding, fragmented supply chains, and complex procurement requirements.
Government decarbonisation funding cannot shoulder the full cost of retrofit, and private finance is too often sidelined by uncertainty.
Conclusion
Woolley insists that now is the critical moment to move beyond trials and deliver mass retrofit projects to meet climate goals effectively.
Author's summary: The UK must transition from retrofit pilots to fully funded, widespread deployment by adopting proven models like Metis’s, overcoming delivery barriers to hit Net Zero targets.