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West Midlands Retrofit Summit

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Join us for 3 unmissable mornings around regional retrofit progress, WMCA's Retrofit Pilot launch and building our skills and workforce 

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Designed specifically for local/combined authority officers, installers, contractors, consultants, community organisations, surveyors, architects, academics, landlords, and sector organisations.

Who's it for?

The West Midlands Retrofit Summit, hosted by West Midlands Combined Authority, follows the perenially popular, tried-and-tested format of our other regional retrofit summits and is created for everyone working in retrofit at-scale, community retrofit and on individual home retrofit projects - specifically, local/combined authority officers, installers, contractors, consultants, community organisations, surveyors, academics, landlords and green economy organisations around the West Midlands.

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Format

The Summit runs online on Zoom Events over Tues 13, Weds 14 & Thurs 15 May 2025 (08.45-12.30hrs) offering presentations, speaker Q&A discussion, themed break-outs and informal networking each morning.

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The Summit programme is produced in conjunction with our Host Partner WMCA and the regional Advisory Group to ensure local perspectives, needs and objectives are at the heart of the event.

PROGRAMME

The Summit programme is produced in conjunction with our Host Partner WMCA and the regional Advisory Group to ensure local perspectives, needs and objectives are at the heart of the event. Register NOW to access all the presentations, Q&A and chat.

AM1: Building a Thriving Retrofit Market

08.45-12.30hrs, Tues 13 May

Focus: Exploring existing retrofit delivery successes, identifying key strategies for business growth within the sector, and understanding the opportunities for market expansion in the West Midlands.
Drop into sessions to suit your schedule

08.45hrs: Logging in and early chats

09.00hrs: Welcome & Overview

09:10hrs: Meet our Thought Leaders: Act on Energy, Equans and Next Energy

09:15hrs: Welcome from Host Partner WMCA's Head of Net Zero Homes & Communities, George Simms

09.20hrs: Retrofit delivery across the West Midlands, with WMCA's Rob Johnson

09.30hrs: St Basil's retrofit delivery, with St Basil's Director, Steve Hale

09.45hrs: Brockmoor Energy & Environment Scheme: Dudley's Net Zero Neighbourhood, with Dudley MBC's Senior Agency Support & Development Officer, Helen Langley

10.00hrs: Delivering Warm Homes in the West Midlands, with Thought Leader Partner Act on Energy's CEO, Rachel Jones

10:20hrs: Themed Breakout Rooms

10.50hrs: The Big Debate: Speaker Q&A, chaired by Birmingham City Council's Route to Net Zero Programme Manager, Dan Gregory

11.30hrs: AM2 Preview + Themed Breakouts continue

12.00hrs: Morning closes

Register to access the event and stay updated on the programme.

AM2: Unveiling the WMCA Retrofit Pilot

08.45-12.30hrs, Weds 14 May

Focus: A deep dive into the launch and objectives of the West Midlands Combined Authority's Retrofit Pilot. This session will cover the pilot's scope, intended impact, and how stakeholders can engage with and benefit from this initiative.

Drop into sessions to suit your schedule

08.45hrs: Logging in and early chats

09.00hrs: Welcome & Overview

09:05hrs: Meet our Thought Leaders: Act on Energy, Equans and Next Energy

09:10hrs: Building the Retrofit Pilot Launch, with WMCA's Energy Project Manager (Devolved Retrofit Pilot), Ben Copson

09.30hrs: Climate Adaption: mapping, planning and devolution, with WMCA's Project Manager _ Climate Adaption, Bethany Haskins-Verheeson

09.50hrs: Coventry's place-based approach, with Coventry City Council's Head of Climate Change & Sustainability, Bret Willers

10.00hrs: PAS2035 update and devolution, with Trustmark's Phil Mason

10.10hrs: Partnership working, with Thought Leader Partner, Equans' Head of Sustainability, Rebecca Reynolds

10:20hrs: Breakout Rooms

10.50hrs: The Big Debate: Speaker Q&A

11.30hrs: AM3 Preview + Themed Breakouts continue

12.00hrs: Morning closes

Register to access the event and stay updated on the programme.

AM3: Developing the Local Supply Chain and Workforce

08.45-12.30hrs, Thurs 15 May

Focus: Examining the requirements for a robust local supply chain and skilled workforce to support the growing retrofit market. Discussions will center on strategies for workforce development, upskilling, and fostering collaboration within the region.

Drop into sessions to suit your schedule

08.45hrs: Logging in and early chats

09.00hrs: Welcome & Overview

09:05hrs: Meet our Thought Leaders: Act on Energy, Equans and Next Energy

09:10hrs:  Procurement & supply chain partnerships – ensuring local business wins & community gains, with Procure Plus's Senior Account Delivery Manager, Kevin Clarke

09.25hrs: Community training for retrofit, with MECC Trust's Retrofit Training Advisor, Maz Dad

09.40hrs: Adding social value to retrofit delivery programmes, with Thought Leader Partner Next Energy's Operations Director, Anthony Daly

09.50hrs: Breakout Rooms

10.20hrs: Short Break 🍵

10.30hrs: The Big Debate: Birmingham's Future Retrofit Workforce, facilitated by South & City College Birmingham's Innovation Practitioner, Jessica Shuker, with the morning's speakers + special guests Bethany Taylor, City Science and Furbnow's Neil Stratham.

  • South and City College Birmingham will be facilitating this Q&A session on collaboration to meet the retrofit skills gap.  This promises to be an engaging and insightful session showing the power of collaboration between public sector, private sector and education to ensure our businesses have the access to talent and upskilling solutions available to be able to meet the retrofit targets. Don't miss it!

11.10hrs: Themed Breakouts and discussion continue

12.00hrs: Summit closes

Register to access the event and stay updated on the programme.

Summit Advisory Group

We work closely with these organisations to ensure the Retrofit Summit programme is 100% focused on housing decarbonisation for the South West region.

Bath & West Community Energy

Bath and West Community Energy (BWCE) is a not-for-profit, member-led organization focused on local ownership and control of renewable energy, benefiting communities and contributing to the UK's community energy movement.

Bristol City Leap
We offer a range of retrofit measures that can help to improve the energy efficiency of your home, making it cosier and more affordable to heat. The following sections will provide with information on the various energy efficiency measures that we offer, as well as some educational resources to to help you get a better understanding of the improvements that you could make to your home.
Centre for Sustainable Energy

The charity supporting people and organisations across the UK to tackle the climate emergency and end the suffering caused by cold homes.

CITB
Find details of local industry events, support, networks and contact information
CITB Advisers can support and guide you in terms of accessing CITB training, grants, funding and apprenticeships. In addition, they can signpost you to other sources of support, help and advice, including local partners and networks, for example LEPs, Growth Hubs and local initiatives.
Future Leap

We give organisations the space, knowledge, contacts and tools to accelerate their sustainability journey and progress towards net zero.  

Retrofit West

Retrofit West Advice is a West of England Mayoral Combined Authority project. It is part of a wider retrofit project that aims to build the supply chain, supporting local businesses and delivering green skills development for residents.

Severn Wye Energy Agency

We aim for a stable climate and universal energy access by helping people overcome fuel poverty and offering advice on energy efficiency and renewables. With 25 years of experience, we assist various groups in managing energy use, staying warm, reducing costs, and supporting the UK's net zero goals.

The Eco Scheme

At The Eco Scheme, we continuously monitor grants to offer you the best funding solutions for energy efficiency, saving money, and promoting a greener world.

The Green Register

The Green Register has been training construction professionals for over 20 years to enhance sustainability in building practices. As an independent, non-profit organization, it relies on member and collaborator support to improve industry standards, with a focus on quality and sustainability.

The West of England Combined Authority

The climate, nature, and cost of living emergencies are key priorities for the West of England Combined Authority. We are investing £10 million in retrofit to help address the challenges associated with making home retrofit achievable for everyone.

YTKO

YTKO launches free to learner flexible training for SMEs 

About the summit

Seddon Construction GIF
Hear from leading lights in low carbon housing

Focused, fast-paced and 100% retrofit-focused speaker programme curated with our regional Advisory Group - and specifically aimed at local/combined authority officers, installers, contractors, consultants, community organisations, surveyors, academics, landlords, architects and green economy and sector organisations.

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Question, discuss & debate

Facilitated Q&A each morning allows you to pose your burning questions to the experts - and get answers! - then chat directly with them in the breakouts.

Each AM session allows plenty of time for discussion with speakers and peers.

Summits are informal friendly events designed to facilitate learning and information-sharing.

 

Engineer shaking hands
Find trusted solutions providers

Join morning breakout rooms to explore the latest low-carbon tech & solutions, meet the teams behind them, and see how they can benefit your projects. 

Recent themes have included: removing barriers, tenant engagement, social value to support retrofit skills, ventilation; thermal bridging, air-tightness. unlocking finance, funding barriers, leveraging multiple funding streams, building partnerships, retrofit support metrics and benchmarking, carbon cashback, strategies for improving air quality...

Hear from Retrofit Action Week partners, hosts and attendees

female headshot

The sessions have been excellent...so user-friendly and slick. Makes such a difference from other conferences I've attended

Retrofit Advisor - attendee, Glasgow Retrofit Summit 2025
Summit Attendee 2

You guys are great, very inspiring, you've made the day for me, thank-you 👏🏼

Local Authority officer - attendee, Birmingham Retrofit Summit 2024
Architect (2)-1

A great event to attend. Met an awful lot of interesting people from a lot of different backgrounds, social housing providers, contractors, installers. It's particularly useful to see how different people can speak to each other about retrofit

Architect - visitor, The Home Upgrade Show, Manchester 2023
Architect (5)-1

Nice and compact…plenty of time to have a good chat with everyone - met some good people and you see the highlights. The workshops were very interesting which led to making some good relationships with architects and different builders and stuff that's going to be a good working relationship going forward

Housing officer - visitor, The Home Upgrade Show, Manchester 2023
Summit Attendee round (trans background)

Thanks everyone for all the lovely conversations and talks - very insightful

Project Manager - attendee, Birmingham Retrofit Summit 2024
Engineer

My main takeaway today was meeting the guys on the CITB training stall - that was absolutely outstanding

Energy engineer - visitor, The Home Upgrade Show, Manchester 2023
Retrofitter

I think strengthening the kind of network of contacts and the retrofit industry in the Northwest was the most important thing for us. Meeting contractors and people who are interested in pushing retrofit forward, whether that be social housing providers, whether that be community groups, that sort of thing - looking at how it can be done at scale

Retrofitter & installer - visitor, The Home Upgrade Show, Manchester 2023
Speaker headshot for testimonial-1

A fantastic event this morning

Local government sustainability manager - speaker, Glasgow Retrofit Summit 2025

Media Partners

Meet the Thought Leader Partners

Discover the latest low carbon tech, services and solutions at the Summit - and meet the teams behind them.