Metis Develops a Model for Mass Low-Carbon Retrofit
Tom Woolley states that the UK has experimented with retrofit projects for long enough. With Metis’s successful model in Oxfordshire, it is time to implement fully-funded retrofit on a large scale.
For years, local authorities and policymakers have sought innovative ways to advance home retrofit. However, as Tom Woolley, SMS Products & Strategy Director, points out, the innovation phase has ended.
Proven Success in Oxfordshire
Through its partnership with Oxfordshire County Council, Metis has demonstrated that large-scale low-carbon retrofit is effective technically, financially, and socially. The main obstacle now is widespread adoption.
"This is the moment to move from pilots to delivery and make retrofit as simple and scalable as a mobile phone subscription."
Existing Technologies Ready for Deployment
The technologies required to decarbonize homes—solar panels, batteries, and heat pumps—have been proven for decades and are becoming more affordable. What has been lacking is a reliable delivery model that makes these technologies accessible, affordable, and trusted by ordinary households.
Many previous pilot projects focused on testing specific technologies rather than improving the process of bringing them into homes. As a result, progress has slowed, putting the UK’s Net Zero targets at risk without transitioning proven innovations into large-scale deployment.
Challenges for Local Authorities and Financing
- Local authorities face limited funding, fragmented supply chains, and complicated procurement processes—similar to households.
- Government decarbonization funding cannot cover the full retrofit cost.
- Private finance is often excluded due to uncertainty.
Addressing these barriers is crucial to unlocking mass retrofit and meeting the UK’s climate goals.
Author’s Summary
Metis’s model shows that large-scale low-carbon retrofitting works, and overcoming funding and delivery challenges is essential for scaling up nationwide.
More News
- Suryakumar Yadav Becomes Mumbai's Top T20 Run-Scorer
- Teleperformance Shares Advance 3.39% at Opening
- Suryakumar Yadav rewards young sensation Ayush Mhatre with bat after his explosive 110-run innings against Vidarbha
- Evidence of burial ground at Tuam mother and baby home
- Breeze’s David Neeleman: Why Startup Airlines Can’t Compete With the Big Four
- GROUND Definition & Meaning
- IPL Auction 2025
- Suryakumar Yadav becomes Mumbai's top T20 scorer
- Macclesfield FC line-up - Emirates FA Cup
- Column: Toy drive for Mutual Ground stirs memories of Aurora City Council member’s own traumatic childhood