Metis Has Built the Model for Mass Low-Carbon Retrofit
Tom Woolley argues that the UK has trialled home retrofit long enough. With Metis’s model proven in Oxfordshire, the country now needs to deliver fully-funded retrofit at scale.
Proven Success in Oxfordshire
Local authorities and policymakers have long called for innovation to unlock home retrofit. According to Tom Woolley, SMS Products & Strategy Director, the innovation phase is complete. Through its partnership with Oxfordshire County Council, Metis has demonstrated that large-scale low-carbon retrofit works technically, financially, and socially.
The Challenge of Adoption
Woolley emphasizes the urgency to move from pilots to full delivery, aiming to make retrofit as simple and scalable as a mobile phone subscription. The technologies to decarbonise homes—such as solar panels, batteries, and heat pumps—have existed and proven effective for decades with rapidly dropping costs.
What’s Missing?
- A delivery model that is accessible, affordable, and trusted by ordinary households.
- Focus on fixing the process of implementation rather than just testing individual technologies.
- Overcoming stalled momentum to meet Net Zero goals through scaled deployment.
Barriers Faced by Local Authorities and Households
Both groups face similar challenges:
- Limited funding
- Fragmented supply chains
- Complex procurement processes
Government decarbonisation funds cannot cover the full retrofit costs, and private finance is often deterred by uncertainty.
“This is the moment to move from pilots to delivery and make retrofit as simple and scalable as a mobile phone subscription.”
Metis’s experience shows that proven innovation must now transition into large-scale, practical deployment to help the UK meet its climate targets.
Author's Summary
Metis’s tested retrofit model in Oxfordshire proves mass low-carbon home upgrades are feasible, but urgent, fully funded delivery is essential to meet UK Net Zero goals.