A large tranche of work has been completed and/or into its next phase. This includes Brand development, Knowledge Hubs, Business optimisation plans, Construction Sector deep Retrofit Opinion Base, Deep Retrofit Trends analysis, Project Website expansion, Dissemination & Communications plans and publication of e news letters. Superhomes model Ecosystem research identified four key areas for future trends: Technology, political support, innovative business models, and financing opportunities. Building Information Modelling (BIM) was highlighted as a key technology trend for deep retrofit. Innovative business models were found to be one-stop-shop business models, with ESCOs and Co-ops being potential competitors.
Financing opportunities were also identified, with the one-stop-shop business model being the most effective. Ursula Von Der Leyen's European Green Deal includes a Just Transition Mechanism to help communities most effected by the energy transition. Green mortgages and unsecured personal loans are growing in popularity in Ireland, with more lenders entering the market with packages. The Model Ecosystem was analysed using a context-mechanism-outcome approach to analyse the Key Mechanisms. A strawman Research in the Construction Sector of Deep Retrofit aimed to build a construction industry opinion base on the expansion of deep retrofit.
The main conclusions from the four researched areas were that a 'fabric first' approach was the most important retrofit process, 81% of respondents considered air tightness testing to be a must, 67% of respondents believed switching the heating system to a renewable source was also essential, and 65-71% of Architects, engineers, trades, and contractors expressed a strong appetite for more involvement in the retrofit sector. The survey found that organizing labour was the greatest operational challenge and the top knowledge gap was 'SEAI grant + Quality Requirements'. 76% chose the 'One Stop Shop' model as their preferred type of delivery organization, with 13% choosing the 'Co-op' model. The European Green Deal is a key pillar of the EU's ambition to green the economy, and green mortgages and unsecured personal loans are growing in popularity in Ireland. The Model Ecosystem was analysed using a context-mechanism-outcome approach.
Research on deep retrofit trends in Ireland found that trigger points exist and can be exploited with targeted communication, and that finance is the most significant barrier to deep retrofit. The housing stock in Ireland is the youngest in Europe, mostly owner-occupied, C or D BER rated, mostly semi-detached, and contains the least number of flats in Europe. There is significant political will both in Ireland and the EU to move towards climate neutrality, with retrofit as a fundamental step to reaching climate targets. The research identified an increase in new innovative business models such as the ESCO business model, the Energy Efficiency obligation Scheme, and the Better Energy Warmer Home Scheme. Market failures such as the split incentive, legacy of lending in Ireland, and stop-start nature of government programmes are being reduced as the market is shifting to 'greening' and an overall growth in the Irish retrofit market. Europe is also having a major influence on the retrofit market, with the green deal and European projects pushing the retrofit agenda at the top level in the EU.
