Retrofit Scotland Together Day - Feb 2025 – Summary
The first Retrofit Scotland Together Day took place on 25 February at Civic House, a building retrofitted using a EnerPHit approach.
Our Together Days aim to build a community of people working in retrofit to help co-design the activities and projects of Retrofit Scotland to ensure we create meaningful value for the community we wish to serve and support.
The workshop was delivered over three hours – and was structured in two parts:
1. Presentation - quick fire project presentations followed by a panel session
2. Feedback workshop - to discuss projects in more detail and provide feedback for next steps.
There was a lot of fantastic feedback, we couldn’t capture all the ideas discussed in a single article, but here we document a summary of the key points to document our journey shaping the development of Retrofit Scotland together.
Part 1: presentations
Project 1: Retrofit Scotland origins, Centre for Net Zero High Density Buildings
Lori McElroy, Professor of Smart, Resilient Cities, University of Strathclyde
Lori McElroy, a founding member of the original Retrofit Scotland initiative, emphasised the importance of retaining knowledge from previous projects: “It's really important that we don't go back to square one." Retrofit Scotland’s story began in 2013, so we must build on this past work.
Part of this will be mapping retrofit efforts across Scotland to improve collaboration and effectiveness, including through joined up efforts such as The Centre for Net Zero High Density Buildings, where Lori is leading on research into Occupant Needs & Behaviour.
Project 2: Retrofit Connect – cohort development programme
Sara Edmonds, co-Director National Retrofit Hub
Sara Edmonds, a co-director at National Retrofit Hub, underscored the importance of the co-design process.
She presented Retrofit Connect, a new initiative from the National Retrofit Hub to build a support programme for community led retrofit organisations and projects, and the project that will test this initiative, the Street Demonstrator Project with Civic Square.
Sara said, "This is about co-design, not top-down solutions. The best ideas come from practitioners, communities, and the people who live in these homes."
Project 3: Retrofit One-Stop Shop in York
Hanna Lundström, Impact Manager, BE-ST
Hanna Lundström presented a live project being delivered by BE-ST and the Energy Systems Catapult to develop a retrofit one-stop-shop in York. The project focuses on education and how retrofit efforts must align with residents' real motivations. While many professionals frame retrofit in terms of carbon reduction, most homeowners – particularly in vulnerable households – are primarily concerned with warmth, health, and affordability.
Hanna said, “We need to communicate in ways that resonate with their real concerns." There is a need for accessible training for both professionals and the public. The new Retrofit One-Stop Shop, which offers free online training modules, currently only available to those in York, was introduced as a model that could be expanded across Scotland.
Project 4: Mapping Retrofit and Energy Efficiency Companies in Scotland
Rob Morrison, Impact Manager, BE-ST
Rob provided a brief overview of Retrofit Scotland – full BE-ST Fest presentation can be watched [add link to youtube]
Currently working on a mapping project to identify retrofit companies, skills, and projects across Scotland. Funded by Scottish Enterprise to deliver between January and April 2025. The project aims to:
Centralised database to consolidate fragmented industry data for better analysis and planning.
Cluster map will visualise company locations, capabilities, and infrastructure needs.
Procurement review to identify gaps and improve SME access to frameworks.
Project aims to support local supply chains and guide future retrofit strategy.
Part 2: Feedback workshops
The event concluded with breakout group and workshop discussions, focusing on: Education, Training, Communities, Mapping and more.
Participants agreed that clear action points, funding models, and policy adjustments are essential to scale retrofit in Scotland. The findings from this session will help shape Retrofit Scotland’s strategy moving forward.
Key Takeaways
The workshop shared many insights, which have been summarised below.
1. Feedback on Retrofit Education
Discussions on education concluded that programmes must try to identify the trusted messengers within local regions to deliver change and enable them to deliver that change, while also recognising that we cannot work in silos. Programmes should strive for national, joined-up impact.
70% of learning happens independently, meaning trusted sources must be readily available for people to seek out.
2. Feedback on Scaling Up Retrofit Engagement
For homeowners and businesses, many people trying to access retrofit funding struggle to complete the process, often "falling off the end of a cliff" before reaching their goal.
Discussions also explored how different groups, such as installers, supply chain businesses, or tenement owners, need different types of support.
Next Steps for Staying Together
The Retrofit Scotland Together Day reinforced the importance of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and community involvement in accelerating retrofit.
Retrofit Together Days hope to be held every two months, alternating between in-person and online events, ensuring accessibility and continued momentum.
Stay connected for updates on the next Retrofit Together Day and join the conversation to help shape the future of retrofit in Scotland.
Project supporters
Retrofit Scotland Together Days are produced by BE-ST.
This work was supported by the Centre for Net Zero High Density Buildings, which is funded by the UK Research and Innovation ‘Building a Green Future’ strategic theme.