UK: A pioneering £3m project is under way to design a supply chain solution to improve the energy-efficiency of the vast majority of the 26 million UK homes that will still be in use by 2050.

The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), a public-private partnership, is beginning a two-year project to identify ways in which the refurbishment and retrofitting of existing residential properties can be accelerated while stimulating demand from householders by exploiting additional opportunities that come with extensive building refurbishment.

The consortium, which has extensive experience of housing, supply chain re-engineering and refurbishment, will be led by BRE (Building Research Establishment), in collaboration with EDF Energy, Peabody, PRP, Total Flow, UCL and Wates.

The project will develop a top-to-bottom process from 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.

A key factor is to ensure predictable results in terms of increased comfort, reduced energy bills and increased asset value of the house, while also delivering value to the companies involved in the supply chain.