In the world of housing retrofit, the conversation often starts with energy targets, insulation thickness, and EPC ratings. But at Cardo Group, we believe something crucial is being left out: the people who live in these homes.
Retrofit is not simply about enhancing buildings — it’s about creating better living conditions, improving health, reducing inequality, and helping residents thrive. For this reason, Cardo Group approaches housing retrofit not only as a technical challenge, but as a social one. And this shift in perspective changes everything.
Yes, retrofit reduces emissions. Yes, it makes homes more energy efficient. But those benefits only matter if they make a difference to the people inside the property. That’s why our approach begins by asking: What do residents need? What challenges are they facing? How can retrofit help?
Across the UK, many households are living in cold, damp homes. Poor ventilation contributes to respiratory issues, while inefficient heating systems push fuel bills through the roof. A truly effective retrofit strategy must solve these problems, not just meet policy targets.
At Cardo Group, we design retrofit programmes around the people they serve. That means more than ticking compliance boxes — it means respecting daily routines, providing clear communication, and reducing disruption at every stage.
We don’t launch a project without speaking to the people it affects. Our team conducts:
This upfront engagement fosters trust and ensures residents understand the process, the benefits, and how to prepare.
We recognise that works can be intrusive. That’s why we coordinate carefully:
This approach helps avoid complaints, improves resident satisfaction, and creates a smoother path to project completion.
Once the works are done, our commitment continues. We provide:
Because a retrofit only succeeds if residents know how to get the most out of it.
Retrofitting homes is not a “set it and forget it” process. To be truly people-focused, providers must incorporate ongoing feedback and respond in real time. Cardo Group builds structured feedback loops into every phase of the project.
This includes:
We use this feedback to fine-tune processes, improve communication, and resolve issues before they escalate. Listening to residents ensures that housing retrofit is not just done to people — but with them.
The benefits of housing retrofit go far beyond improved EPC scores. A successful programme can have a transformative impact on communities and lives.
By lowering energy bills, retrofit helps residents retain more of their income, reducing stress and hardship — especially for low-income and vulnerable households.
Better insulation and ventilation mean fewer damp-related conditions, fewer asthma cases, and overall healthier environments — particularly important for children and older residents.
When homes are comfortable and affordable to heat, tenancy turnover drops. Residents stay longer, communities grow stronger, and antisocial behaviour declines.
Cardo Group integrates these social outcomes into our planning — because they’re not side effects of retrofit. They’re the reason we do it.
Our values-led retrofit approach also delivers strong environmental performance. A people-first strategy and a carbon-first strategy can — and must — coexist.
Cardo Group helps housing providers align environmental compliance with real-world resident impact, meeting Net Zero objectives without losing sight of who it’s all for.
Retrofit is also about timing — aligning delivery with available funding and policy frameworks. Cardo Group works with clients to ensure retrofit programmes are designed to:
By understanding the full landscape — from budget cycles to legislative targets — we help clients deliver retrofit that’s compliant, fundable, and community-centred.
People-first also means inclusive retrofit. Cardo Group designs retrofit interventions that meet a range of accessibility and health needs, including:
Because retrofit isn’t just about energy — it’s about dignity, independence, and equity.
As the UK population ages, housing providers face increasing pressure to adapt homes for older residents. Housing retrofit offers a key opportunity to support ageing in place — enabling older people to live independently and comfortably in their own homes for longer.
Cardo Group incorporates age-sensitive design into retrofit delivery, ensuring that upgrades are suitable for:
By aligning retrofit with inclusive and preventative care strategies, we help reduce the burden on health and social care while improving quality of life for older residents.
Retrofit isn’t a one-time fix. To be effective, it must be part of a broader, long-term asset management strategy.
Cardo Group helps housing associations and councils plan retrofit work in tandem with:
This integrated approach helps reduce costs, avoids duplication of effort, and ensures residents benefit sooner — not ten years down the line.
Success in retrofit isn’t only measured by EPC scores or air-tightness tests. At Cardo Group, we track:
These human-focused metrics help us improve future programmes and demonstrate true social return on investment to our clients.
A common retrofit pitfall is focusing only on energy performance while ignoring broader liveability. Cardo Group’s retrofit philosophy includes whole-home thinking, ensuring the upgrades integrate with how people actually use their space.
We consider:
This attention to detail ensures that the retrofit enhances the home’s usability — not just its efficiency.
Housing retrofit is not just an environmental and social mission — it’s also a powerful economic tool. At Cardo Group, we prioritise:
Every project is an opportunity to build community wealth — not just better buildings.
The scale of the challenge is enormous. That’s why Cardo Group partners with:
These partnerships allow us to pool expertise, share best practice, and deliver retrofit at scale — without sacrificing the local focus that keeps projects grounded in real resident needs.
Our belief is simple: housing retrofit must serve people first. If residents aren’t healthier, happier, and more comfortable after the works, then it hasn’t succeeded — no matter what the data says.
That’s why Cardo Group is building a retrofit model that puts lived experience at the centre — backed by technical excellence, compliance knowledge, and delivery at scale.
At Cardo Group, housing retrofit is not just a carbon compliance task. It’s an opportunity to tackle inequality, support communities, and give people the quality of life they deserve. It’s about treating retrofit as a human mission, not just a technical one.
With the right strategy, the right funding, and the right delivery partner, housing retrofit can change lives — not just properties.
To learn more about how Cardo Group delivers retrofit with people at its core, visit our website or get in touch with our team.