By David Pierpoint, CEO, The Retrofit Academy

The UK has lost a decade in the race to net zero. A whole decade.

That’s not hyperbole – it’s an evidenced reality, as laid bare in the latest report from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Committee. In stark terms, we are now delivering just 2% of the retrofit activity we were on track to achieve in 2010. Put another way: we’ve slipped 98% backwards at a time we needed to be charging ahead. MP Bill Esterson called it a “disastrous lost decade for clean, secure energy,” and he’s right.

The collapse in home energy efficiency progress is more than just a policy failure – it’s a wake-up call for every stakeholder in our sector. But as I see it, it’s also a moment of enormous opportunity. The question is: will we rise to meet it?

At The Retrofit Academy, we believe the answer must be yes. Because retrofit isn’t a side-project. It’s the cornerstone of any serious plan to reach net zero, to lift households out of fuel poverty, and to revitalise the UK economy with skilled, secure, green jobs.

Our focus isn’t on what went wrong – it’s on what we build from here.

What the Report Tells Us

The May 2025 report rightly calls for urgent, coordinated, and practical steps to reset the retrofit agenda. Among its most important recommendations:

The creation of a National Warm Homes Advice Service to give households trustworthy, accessible guidance.

Reforming EPCs so they reflect carbon outcomes, not just cost or efficiency estimates.

A national accreditation framework, to ensure consistency, quality, and consumer confidence.

Fewer and more consistent support schemes, designed with long-term funding in mind.

A fairer balance of energy policy costs between electricity and gas.

These are sensible, necessary steps. But they are only the foundation. It’s the work that follows – on the ground, in homes, in training centres, in local authorities – that will determine whether we truly close the retrofit gap.

What The Retrofit Academy Is Doing

We’ve spent the last several years working not just in anticipation of these needs – but in direct response to them.

1. Building a National Retrofit Standard

Through our Ofqual-recognised qualifications and government-aligned curriculum, we’ve trained over 8,000 professionals so far – across the full retrofit pathway, including Retrofit Advisors, Assessors, Coordinators, Designers, and Installers.

But this is only the beginning. We are scaling training opportunities across the UK, building partnerships with local authorities, training providers and employers to expand our reach. The future workforce of retrofit is being built right now – and it must be inclusive, future-proofed, and capable of delivering at pace and scale.

2. Delivering Quality and Accountability

In partnership with Sterling Accreditation, our approach ensures that those who train with us aren’t just certified – they’re truly capable. PAS 2035 compliance isn’t a box-ticking exercise; it’s a benchmark for trustworthy, professional work.

Trust is the linchpin of the retrofit sector. We cannot afford another generation of poorly executed schemes that damage confidence and waste public funds. That’s why we build quality assurance into every stage of the training pipeline.

3. Supporting Long-Term Workforce Development

Short-term thinking has plagued the industry for years. Boom-and-bust cycles—driven by erratic funding and inconsistent schemes—have made it nearly impossible for businesses and individuals to invest confidently in retrofit careers.

We’re changing that. By forging skills partnerships with central and regional government, and by aligning with Combined Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships, we are helping to ensure that funding, training, and deployment are planned with longevity in mind.

4. Creating Household Impact at Scale

Retrofit isn’t just a numbers game – it’s about people. Warm homes lower energy bills, reduce carbon emissions, and improve mental and physical health.

We often talk about fuel poverty, but behind the statistics are families choosing between heating and eating. A trained retrofit workforce is not just delivering technical upgrades—it’s delivering dignity, safety, and long-term affordability to people’s lives.

5. Future-Proofing the Workforce

Our goal isn’t simply to react to today’s retrofit needs. We’re preparing the workforce for what comes next. Whether the future brings wider adoption of electric heating, hydrogen infrastructure, or repurposed gas networks, retrofit must be flexible.

That’s why we’ve invested in continuous professional development tools that grow with the learner:

Our Membership Hub provides CPD, community, and real-time industry updates.

Our guides and process maps help practitioners navigate complex PAS 2035 requirements.

Our training content evolves regularly, ensuring practitioners stay aligned with policy and technical shifts.

We don’t just provide certificates, we focus on building competence. And, we don’t just train people – we build careers.

Retrofit Is the Solution We Can’t Ignore

I agree wholeheartedly with MP Esterson: “Time really is money – and money that many households simply can’t afford to waste.”

But I’d go further. Time is carbon. Time is opportunity. And time is lives. Every year we delay means higher emissions, avoidable winter deaths, and NHS costs that could have been prevented by warmer homes.

Retrofit is not optional. It’s the single most impactful intervention we can make in the built environment. And it’s the keystone that connects multiple government ambitions: net zero, levelling up, skills development, and health.

What We Need Next

The Retrofit Academy has never waited for permission to act. But if we are to scale this mission as a nation, we need:

Multi-year funding commitments that give stability to employers and training providers.

Robust, enforced standards that ensure trust is not undermined by poor practice.

One-stop national guidance so consumers and contractors know exactly where to turn.

We need leadership. We need collaboration. And we need speed.

An Invitation to Act

If you’re a local authority struggling with workforce capacity, a housing provider trying to decarbonise your stock, an employer seeking skilled staff, or an individual looking for a career with purpose – join us.

This isn’t about The Retrofit Academy. It’s about all of us. And it’s about turning one of the UK’s greatest missed opportunities into one of its proudest achievements.

We can go from 98% behind to leading the race to the top in retrofit. But we must act now – with skill, with scale, and with unity.