Delivered by Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST), the programme aims to tackle two urgent challenges: reducing carbon emissions and improving the quality of housing across Scotland to make neighbourhoods warmer, healthier, and more energy-efficient.

Buildings are responsible for nearly 40% of Scotland’s carbon emissions. At the same time, 3 out of 10 social and private houses do not meet quality standards due to a lack of energy efficiency. Inefficient homes not only generate higher carbon emissions but also cause health problems, from respiratory diseases to stress and anxiety, which cost the NHS each year.

Retrofitting homes is essential both to meeting the country’s 2045 net zero targets, improving the health and comfort of Scotland’s citizens, and reducing the burden on the NHS.

Retrofit Scotland will connect industry leaders, academics, community groups, and government partners, to work together on practical ways to improve Scotland’s built environment.

The programme offers a range of services designed to enable Scotland’s journey to healthier, warmer buildings. This includes practical retrofit training to equip participants with the skills needed to retrofit Scotland’s homes; convening communities and events to share knowledge and best practice; access to co-working and events spaces for collaboration, workshops, prototyping and more; and retrofit consultancy to provide advice and support for projects to accelerate the delivery of innovative retrofit solutions.

Retrofit Scotland was originally founded in 2013 through a collaboration of organisations. It emerged from the 2020 Built Environment group and was committed to the successful development of Scotland’s National Retrofit Programme. Together, they laid the foundation for research that has informed countless other projects.

Ten years on, the urgency of the need to retrofit has only grown. With this renewed launch, Retrofit Scotland aims to provide a platform for action by connecting academia, industry, citizens, local and national government, with the goal of scaling retrofit delivery so that citizens across Scotland can access the benefits it brings.

This iteration of Retrofit Scotland aligns with BE-ST’s mission and national remit to build delivery of and capacity for retrofit Scotland’s innovation centre for the built environment. It builds on collaborations that have been taking place in recent years including strategic partnerships with the National Retrofit Hub and the Centre for Net-Zero High Density buildings and supporting and hosting the Retrofit Reimagined series of events across 2023.

Stephen Good, CEO at BE-ST, said: “Today’s relaunch of Retrofit Scotland is a significant milestone in enabling Scotland’s built environment industry to accelerate and scale capacity for delivering retrofit by offering the simple, practical tools and services needed to do it well.

“The transition to net zero is a key opportunity to improve outcomes for communities and citizens across Scotland; retrofit in particular not only helps to tackle the climate emergency, it’s also a lever for bettering quality of life by making homes warmer and healthier. This is an opportunity that we need to make sure we don’t miss.”

Rob Morrison, impact manager at BE-ST, added: “Retrofit Scotland is focused on turning research and strategy into action. The urgency and complexity of the retrofit challenge is huge. Working collaboratively across academia, industry, business, and communities is at the heart of this renewed platform.

“Our objective is to support the network of retrofit infrastructure emerging across Scotland to embed decentralised local solutions created by local people. We are starting with four clear activities, but this will evolve in response to the needs of the network. Our relaunch at BE-ST Fest in November 2024 is the starting point for an exciting journey ahead!”