Building Supply Chain for Mass Refurbishment of Houses ;Sustainable Supply - Existing Supply Chain Review (WP4 D1)

Abstract:

This project looked at designing a supply chain solution to improve the energy efficiency of the vast majority of the 26 million UK homes which will still be in use by 2050.It looked to identify ways in which the refurbishment and retrofitting of existing residential properties can be accelerated by industrialising the processes of design, supply and implementation, while stimulating demand from householders by exploiting additional opportunities that come with extensive building refurbishment.The project developed a top-to-bottom process, using a method of analysing the most cost-effective package of measures suitable for a particular property, through to how these will be installed with the minimum disruption to the householder. This includes identifying the skills required of the people on the ground as well as the optimum material distribution networks to supply them with exactly what is required and when.

This deliverable is number 1 of 8 in Work Package 4. It presents the ‘as is’ status of the current UK retrofit supply chain, taking in the full supply chain from sales, survey and design through to installation and the logistics associated with building retrofit.

Whilst the primary focus of the deliverable is on the UK supply chain, a comparison with retrofit activities in France and Germany is included; this will allow additional lessons learnt overseas to be incorporated into the subsequent deliverables in Work Package 4 as they progressively refine the design of the optimum supply chain to deliver mass scale retrofit in the UK

The Supply Chain Workshops have generated interest and valuable contributions from a core of potential supplier organisations and the challenge is to ensure this built upon, while avoiding the potential charge that the contribution organisations are an exclusive and un-representative group. Three of the challenges to seen as crucial to success at this point are:

• Develop a multi-skill site approach which enables seamless, cost-effective site work with minimal disruption to householders; instead of a series of trade based activities.
• Develop factory prepared kits, ready to fit, with short leadtimes; which speed up installation, minimise disruption and give assured quality performance.
• Generate supply solutions that treat retrofit as a System solution instead of a series of bolt on interventions. With product and service providers acting together there will be more potential to improve overall thermal performance, reduce cost and minimise householder disruption.

Publication Year:

2013

Publisher:

ETI

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5286/ukerc.edc.000299

Author(s):

Cook, P. and Hall T.