Interview with Net Zero Director Michael Morrall

We sat down with our Director for Net Zero, Michael Morrall, for a wide-ranging interview covering the friction points stalling large-scale retrofits and the failures of “piecemeal” delivery. Michael breaks down the operational roadblocks and shares how a unified approach can accelerate the transition to net zero.

How is the post ECO4 landscape looking, and what challenges and opportunities does the WHP present?

The Labour government’s scrapping of the ECO, which improved 2.6 million homes with over 4.6 million energy-saving measures in fuel-poor households, has created a huge hiatus in the industry that we have served and thrived in since 2013.

The shift from utility company-led schemes to the government’s new “Warm Homes Plan” is intended to accelerate the country’s journey to net zero

This is with significant emphasis on renewables and heat pumps.

It aims to go beyond fuel poverty and help homeowners with access to new and affordable loans for measures and installations.

Continuity of other schemes like the Social Housing Fund, as well as the Warm Homes Local Grant, provides some comfort to the supply chain that is currently under huge pressure due to significantly reduced work.

More needs to be done to get the Warm Homes Plan properly mobilised.

At the moment, it feels like more of an idea than a plan

It needs to be turned into something that can be accessed for key delivery partners like us with real urgency.

Why does large-scale retrofit matter right now (for residents and clients)?

For the residents and our clients, large-scale retrofit is the quickest and most effective way to combat rising energy costs and tackle fuel poverty. Residents get a warmer, healthier and more affordable home, and our clients secure their asset value as well as ensuring they are compliant.

Where do most retrofit programmes go wrong, and how do you avoid that?

In our experience, retrofit programmes fail mainly because of the ‘piecemeal’ delivery approaches. Housing associations or tier 1 principal contractors employ multiple installation partners for various measures in a single home. This often creates confusion for vulnerable residents.

This is a difficult route to coordinate and manage delivery effectively in complex PAS2035 compliant conditions.

We overcome this by installing all measures. One team. Coordinated by a brilliant operational support, so everything is delivered right first time, in the right order and on time with no fuss.

Operating this way, we don’t neglect a fabric-first approach, are confident that ventilation is adequate and ensure the right materials for the home are correctly designed, specified and used properly.

This avoids all too common failures which are all avoidable with the right know-how.

What does “good” look like in retrofit delivery over the next 3–5 years?

For me personally, having been involved in retrofit for two decades, good would be the “Warm Homes Plan” actually delivering on its promises. and providing the industry with more certainty and access to long-term funding.

For more than a decade in the Eco, we have been on a rollercoaster with boom and bust schemes that are not sustainable for businesses like ours.

We require more certainty around continuity and more confidence to invest further.

What do councils, housing providers and tier ones get when they work with you that they don’t get elsewhere?

We have an enviable reputation for delivering quality. Something we are incredibly proud of.

We put our residents and clients first and ensure all improvements are installed to excellent standards and managed by a very talented and experienced team across all disciplines.

Our streamlined processing and investment in technology enable us to manage projects and communicate with our clients incredibly effectively.

We support the full suite of measures and technologies which go into homes. These measures are installed by our directly employed engineers nationwide in a PAS2035 arena.

Additionally, we can provide the full Assessment, Design and Coordination from our in-house PAS services team.

Many claim to be able to offer the services and coverage we can, but the reality is, few can.

I’m proud to tell you that we are and have been doing so consistently for more than 13 years.

Delivering area-based schemes at scale, not pepper-potted dwellings stretched far and wide, would be a big plus to speed up our journey to net zero much more cost-effectively.