Globally, the built environment accounts for approximately 40% of energy consumption, projected to rise to 60% by 2060 and 72% by the century’s end. In the United Kingdom, residential buildings represent nearly 29% of total energy demand, with 62% attributed to space heating. The UK’s ageing housing stock, almost half of which was built before the 1965 Building Regulations, presents significant challenges for improving energy performance. Despite government incentives and policy frameworks, homeowner-led retrofits remain insufficient, suggesting multiple, intersecting challenges constraining the widespread adoption of retrofit measures.
In response, this research examines how residential retrofit initiatives can more effectively integrate homeowners’ preferences, priorities for health and well-being, and lived experiences to enhance the uptake of energy-efficiency retrofit measures. While existing studies have extensively explored barriers, occupants’ behaviours, technical, financial, and policy aspects of retrofitting, a notable gap persists in understanding how retrofit projects can be more effectively aligned with the diverse needs of stakeholders, particularly in addressing the specific requirements of individual homeowners. Thus, this study seeks to identify mechanisms through which retrofit policy, architectural design strategies, and stakeholder engagement practices intersect and align to support sustainable, health-enhancing, and socially inclusive retrofit outcomes.
This ongoing study employs an inductive analytical approach guided by Grounded Theory. The study draws on semi-structured interviews with 48 stakeholders in West Yorkshire, encompassing construction sector professionals, local government officials, retrofit coordinators, non-profit organisations, maintenance personnel, and residents across diverse housing tenures. The interviews are coded and analysed to uncover overarching themes, identify patterns, recognise contradictions, and interpret unique insights. The analysis focuses on the intersection of retrofit practices with health and well-being concerns, including issues such as dampness, mould, and inadequate thermal comfort, and their implications for sustainable housing transitions. The findings are validated by member checking and peer debriefing.
Preliminary findings highlight persistent homeowner challenges, including financial constraints, limited awareness, and difficulties understanding and accessing reliable retrofit information. By foregrounding homeowners’ lived experiences alongside institutional and professional perspectives, this research seeks to contribute to developing more inclusive, effective, and contextually responsive retrofit policies capable of accelerating equitable, low-carbon housing transitions.
Author Contributions
Conceptualisation, A.I. and Y.G.; methodology, A.I.; software, A.I.; validation, A.I., Y.G. and M.M.; formal analysis, A.I.; investigation, A.I.; resources, A.I.; data curation, A.I.; writing—original draft preparation, A.I.; writing—review and editing, A.I., Y.G. and M.M.; visualisation, A.I.; supervision, Y.G. and M.M.; project administration, A.I. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
The study was conducted to the highest ethical standard, in compliance with the Concordat on Research Integrity. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the School Research and Enterprise Committee (SREC) of the University of Huddersfield on the 9th of May, 2024.
Informed Consent Statement
Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement
The datasets presented in this article are not readily available because the data are part of an ongoing study. Requests to access the datasets should be directed to Ayana Ifeorah.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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