Goodbye SAP, Hello HEM? + Have you retrofitted recently?

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Subject: Goodbye SAP, Hello HEM? + Have you retrofitted recently?

Hi Friend,

How do we make retrofit work for everyone? It starts with sharing knowledge and experiences.

This month, we have several ways for you to get involved and shape the future of energy efficiency. People Powered Retrofit are working with Citizens Advice on a major research project and looking for homeowners to share their retrofit stories (with paid opportunities available).

We are also looking ahead to the future of building assessments with a special guest, Marianne Heaslip, Technical Director at People Powered Retrofit, presenting at our upcoming EcoHome Lab. With a more DIY approach we are helping you unlock the secrets of your own home with our Tool Library.

Read on for the latest news, events, and opportunities to get involved.

EcoHome Lab: Introducing the Home Energy Model (HEM)

How will we design and regulate retrofit in the future? The upcoming Home Energy Model (HEM) is set to replace the long-standing SAP methodology, changing how we understand building performance.

We are very pleased to welcome Marianne Heaslip (Technical Director, People Powered Retrofit) to the next EcoHome Lab. Having worked on the model’s quality assurance, she will be sharing the technical differences between SAP and HEM and exploring the implications for EPCs and design.

📅 Date: 12 February, 6:00 PM 📍 Location: Online

Book your place

Have you retrofitted your home in the last few years?

A woman sitting with a small child in front of a radiator. Overlayed is the text “Are you a home owner who has made your home more energy efficient? - For example, through insulation, new windows, solar panels, or a heat pump - TAKE PART IN OUR STUDY“ alongside the PPR and Citizens Advice logos

We are supporting People Powered Retrofit and Citizens Advice on a major new research project. They are looking to understand how homeowners access advice and support when carrying out energy improvements, whether that's a heat pump, insulation, new windows, or solar panels.

If you have made improvements to your home in England, Wales, or Scotland in the last few years, they want to hear from you. Your experiences: good, bad, or average will help influence government policy and improve advice for households like yours.

How to get involved:

Step 1: Complete a 5-minute survey (deadline: Friday 13th Feb, 5pm).
The Perk: You’ll be entered into a £100 hamper prize draw.
Step 2 (Optional): You may be invited to paid interviews or workshops to share your story in more detail.

👉 Take the survey

Community Spotlight: To gap or not to gap?

A photo of a bay window with plaster removed to expose brickwork and floorboards lifted

Retrofit is often about solving the tricky little details that pop up once you start peeling back the plaster. This week on the community forum, a member shared a common dilemma while installing internal wood fibre insulation.

They are dealing with a wooden support beam under a window and facing a choice: should they leave an air gap around the timber, or bond the insulation directly to it?

Can you offer peer support with this issue, or do you have your home retrofit question?

👉 Read the full thread

What we are reading

A screenshot of the cover of the Warm Homes Plan which shows a number of semi-detached houses with solar panels

This month we have been digging into the newly published 'Warm Homes Plan'. The plan outlines some bold targets, including tripling the number of homes with solar panels and reaching 450,000 heat pump installations by 2030.

To get there, the plan outlines a “universal offer” for all households. This includes expanding the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to include air-to-air heat pumps and heat batteries. As ever the devil will be in the detail, and it remains to be seen exactly how the various targets outlined in this plan will be achieved - nevertheless it presents an interesting vision for 2030!

Explore the plan in detail

Did you know? Members borrow tools for free

A screenshot of tools available in the Carbon Co-op tool library

Need to hunt down a draught or check the state of your cavity walls? Don't buy expensive equipment, borrow ours!

Carbon Co-op members have free access to our specialist tool library, including thermal imaging cameras and borescopes.

Getting your hands on them is easy: you can collect them directly from our Manchester office, or we can send them out to you by post.

Browse the library and reserve a tool

Registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965, registration number 31342R.

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Subject: Goodbye SAP, Hello HEM? + Have you retrofitted recently?