Who are Innovate UK

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is the UK’s innovation agency. They work to create a better future by inspiring, involving and investing in businesses developing life-changing innovations. With an annual budget of over £1billion they provide businesses with the expertise, facilities and funding they need to test, demonstrate and evolve their ideas, driving UK productivity and economic growth.

Phase 1 Outcomes

The phase 1 project, which took a community focussed approach to identifying non-technical barriers and place-based solutions in three communities across both rural and urban settings. Involving both businesses and residents, similar non-technical barriers emerged:

a) Lack of awareness and support mechanisms

b) Lack of green skills

c) Supply chain issues

d) Ownership and permission (including planning restrictions)

e) Personal financial status

f) Lack of sustainable transport options (rural)

g) Cost and scheduling of sustainable transport options (rural areas)

Place based community co-created solutions were voted on and the two following solutions (revitalising homes and connection regional transport) were identified as the top solutions to explore within the Pathfinders funded project.

Revitalising Homes

Revitalising Homes will look at a whole systems approach to retrofit through engagement with local suppliers and installers, identifying green skills gaps, exploring and modifying a customer re-claim model for funding and creating a viable business model for a sustainable retrofit project. The theme will focus on the entire Perth & Kinross local authority area.

The majority of work focus on two schemes that will be available for homeowners, and private and social housing landlords to utilise. 1) creating a Knowledge Hub as a central source of trusted information on the retrofit process and home improvement measures 2) creating a viable business model for a one-stop-shop for retrofit advice and support.

Key Outputs

Theme 1 – Revitalising Homes

Through the Revitalising Homes part of the project, the concept is to take an innovative whole system approach aimed at catalysing a step change in the pace of decarbonisation of the housing stock across Perth and Kinross. The elements for development include:

• Develop a one-stop shop retrofit model with a five-year business plan, covering retrofit advice, planning support and a framework for local suppliers;
• Map current business capacity and identifying green skills training requirements and solutions;
• Investigate the potential of a circular economy equipment leasing and end of life disposal models;
• Change the grant reclaim model to pay suppliers/installers directly;

Engagement with Local Businesses and Communities

In early 2025, NSA will be engaging with local suppliers and installers ; those currently working in the domestic retrofit area as well as those who currently are delivering more conventional trades to map current opportunities and challenges as well as skills gaps and training requirements. This work will build on the report produced by Parity Projects this summer to understand the requirements for a potential one-stop-shop retrofit model to support the decarbonisation of the region's homes. The University of Edinburgh are leading on an evaluation of current retrofit one stop shops in Scotland and will set out their recommendations soon for the most appropriate model for Perth and Kinross.

NSA will consult communities on both the potential of a retrofit one stop shop and the Knowledge Hub to explore how this would practically work at the community level, working with local organisations and businesses, and to help shape the final design of both systems.

Together with the project team, NSA are currently developing an engagement plan which will include workshops, face-to-face engagement in local high footfall area and community spaces, doorstep engagement, and an online survey.

This is being developed during November and December 2024 with the aim to engage with local communities and businesses in January.

Perth and Kinross Retrofit Industry Workshops

We’re working towards making homes more energy-efficient by providing homeowners and landlords with advice about retrofitting energy saving measures and connecting them with qualified contractors.

In late May 2024, the project team and Parity Projects hosted a workshop to discuss a one stop shop model. Together we engaged with local businesses and advocacy groups working in the retrofit space.

Next Steps – Outputs of Workshop

Listening to local businesses and advocacy groups at the workshops has informed the development of the following outputs, aimed at providing a community focussed approach to retrofit in Perth and Kinross.

1. Consolidate knowledge and evidence around the current barriers for retrofit and develop the requirements for a “one stop shop” to overcome these barriers
2. Identify options for different approaches for the one-stop-shop and complete an options appraisal
3. An overview of the options available for different approaches to the roll-out of the one stop shop, including governance arrangements, commercial options, scheme infrastructure and financial model.
4. A fully developed five-year business case, built upon the evidence and findings of the work outlined above.

Further engagement activities with local businesses, advocacy groups, and communities are planned for the start of 2025 to further our understanding of barriers and enablers to a “one stop shop” and explore how a “one stop shop” retrofit model could practically operate for Perth and Kinross.

Connecting Regional Travel

The Connecting Regional Travel theme will investigate the viability of two new services focusing on the rural town of Aberfeldy. One will look at an express bus route out of the town to Perth, and another will concentrate on a minibus service connecting surrounding villages with Aberfeldy. Work will also look at synchronising bus schedules with vital destinations like healthcare facilities or train stations, provision of express bus services and feasibility of peer-to-peer transport services. Additionally, it will investigate reduced-cost fare options to stimulate demand and encourage a shift in commuting patterns, ultimately striving to reduce the number of vehicles on the road.

We will maximise knowledge transfer through extensive monitoring and evaluation, working in collaboration with external partners to ensure that our findings and associated learnings are disseminated across the UK, reaching local government, businesses and community groups.

The theme will focus on the Perth & Kinross local authority area, with a particular focus on the communities of Aberfeldy and Blairgowrie.

Key Outputs

Theme 2 – Connecting Regional Transport

Through the Connecting Regional Transport part, the concept is to explore whether a concentrated focus on multi-modal sustainable transport in a rural area is sufficient to generate a sufficient behavioural shift necessary to make these sustainable in the long-term. The elements for development include:

• Engage with householders to establish a baseline of community needs (survey) to match user demand to services and products
• Investigate with bus operators the possibility of developing local fare zones
• Explore the feasibility and develop a financial model for the EV community minibus
• Explore the feasibility and operability of working with the NHS on embedding active travel
• Explore options and appetite for liftshare and peer-to-peer car sharing

Community Chats

Throughout August, September and October, a series of community chats were hosted to further engage with residents to establish the challenges surrounding transport. A focus was placed on understanding issues for young people and families, and for those accessing healthcare. Drop-in events were hosted alongside two roundtable discussions centring on potential solutions and to better understand community transport needs.

The the feedback from engagement will contribute to a feasibility report which will look at short, medium and long term solutions to meet community needs. The report will be developed in late 2024 and will be communicated back to those who have contributed via the drop-in and roundtable events to discuss next viable actions.

There currently no upcoming events.

Potential Impact

• It will develop models for replicable and scalable solutions with real world testing that is, applicable to both rural and urban communities across the UK;
• Each house could reduce energy expenditure by 60% - over £1100 per household per year.
• It is likely to succeed -- founded on strong strands of community engagement, with trusted community delivery partners;
• Lead to health and wellbeing impacts and support the NHS on their net zero journey;
• Help accelerate the green transition and build community resilience;
• The expertise of the team -- pulling together the necessary public, private, academic and third sector;
• Establishing a trusted traders' network will encourage future improvements be contracted boosting the local economy - every retrofit house represents an investment of £12k-£20k
• Real world testing of transferability of models
• The transformational potential of the project provides additional value for money for PKC including:
  • Advance and accelerate on-going work and provide a step-change towards meeting net zero and statutory energy and emissions targets;
  • Revitalising homes will provide the next step for communities towards action, building on the free home-energy advice PKC already fund;
  • An opportunity to build stronger community relationships and partnerships that are aligned with the Perth and Kinross Offer to communities.