Retrofit One stop shops aim to provide householders with all the assistance they need to retrofit their homes, in one place.
Resource
Business model: Retrofit One-Stop Shop
Retrofit OSSs aim to provide householders with all the assistance they need to retrofit their homes, in one place.
They generally comprise of an online platform / website containing energy efficiency advice, signposting to installers, finance and grant funding, and home energy assessments.
OSSs may take different forms, such as:
- Facilitation (advice only and signposting).
- Coordination (connecting householders with pre-vetted installers, finance providers, etc.)
- All-inclusive (all of the above + managing retrofit delivery).
Each of these options carries different levels of liability and risk for the OSS provider. Some government/local authority-led OSSs may also offer specific financial incentives.
Primary benefits
- Addresses non-financial barriers to heat pump adoption by giving households advice and connecting them with installers.
- Can provide a complete end-to-end retrofit journey for households.
- Can provide revenue streams for local authority partners (e.g., fees for surveys, commission from installers).
- Creates a pipeline for local supply chain and installer skills.
Key risks and considerations
- Mainly addresses able-to-pay market and homeowners, but can also serve landlords.
- Does not generally overcome financial barriers, as household still has to pay upfront cost of measures, but can provide access to finance.
- Can be operated by private entities, but often involves partnership between local authority and other relevant organisations.
Case study: Your home better (Greater Manchester)
Your Home Better. (2024). https://yourhomebetter.co.uk/.
Overview
Your Home Better is an independent, not-for-profit service backed by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, launched in 2022.
The offering for homeowners includes retrofit surveys, whole house plans and quotes for works, as well as coordination and installation through national retrofit experts Retrofitworks. The service also signposts households to relevant grant funding and offers an exclusive loan option in partnership with Manchester Credit Union.
Your Home Better engages with the community directly through a mobile hub and in partnership with local advocacy groups, such as Red Co-op. It also undertakes community-based projects, such as a battery aggregation project in partnership with Flexitricity, which will allow homeowners in Manchester to collaboratively manage their energy consumption.
Financials
Your Home Better has a transparent, fixed fee structure for home visits (£80), retrofit specifications (£25-50), surveys (£150) and whole house plans (£450). It also offers retrofit coordination services at a rate of 5% of the project cost.
Scale of deployment
Your Home Better is an area-based scheme targeted at residents of Greater Manchester. The service works with contractors and installers working in the North of England.
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