Process Management - Phase 2

The role of the RC shall be to protect both the HO interest and the public interest. The RC shall be responsible for overseeing the project from inception to completion, i.e.  assessment, Whole House Plan, installation, and post-completion evaluation. An RC shall be a person qualified in accordance with the requirements set out in section 3.2.2(Appendix XXXX).  

The RC will be employed by the LEAD Partner commissioned to undertake the responsibilities set out (see Appendix XXX).  Where a conflict of interest arises between the RC’s duty to protect the HO interest, the public interest and the employer’s interest it shall be declared to the HO so that arrangements can be made to resolve the conflict. 

At the outset of the project, the RC shall consult the HO and agree and record the intended outcomes of the project. Intended outcomes shall take into account the initial condition of the building(s) and be expressed in terms of one or more of the following: 

reductions in energy use; 

reductions in energy costs and/or alleviation of fuel poverty; 

reductions in emissions associated with energy use; 

improvement in internal comfort; 

improvement of indoor air quality (IAQ); 

elimination of condensation, damp and mould; 

reducing the risk of overheating; 

improvement in energy rating (e.g. SAP); 

meeting a performance standard (e.g. NZEB or Passive House EnerPHit); 

improving the usefulness or sustainability of the building; 

protecting the building against decay or deterioration; 

improving resistance to water penetration and resilience against flood risk; 

protection or enhancement of architectural heritage; 

integration of energy efficiency measures with other improvements, e.g. extension, loft conversion or general refurbishment; and 

any other issues that might be considered relevant. 

It is the responsibility of the Retrofit Assessor to undertake a full house survey of the property using software stated below to enable the production of the Property Retrofit Plan [is this a defined term somewhere or shall we replace it by Whole House Plan?].  

Only the following software can be used for collecting data from the survey and determining what are the best measures – clarify with technical team: 

Home Retrofit Planner (HRP): Requires Retrofit Assessor to have completed the HRP course by Carbon Coop, software based on full SAP. 

Full Standard Assessment Procedure: Requires Retrofit Assessor to have completed a relevant training course. 

Passive House Planning Package (PHPP): Requires Retrofit Assessor to have completed the PHPP course by Passive House Trust. 

 Whole House Energy Efficiency Report (WHEER): Requires Retrofit Assessor to have completed appropriate training. Produced using DE specific method.  

[Does this cover the way all the groups are producing WHP in a way that the Technical Team agrees is satisfactory?] 

The RC is responsible for preparing a report based on the survey and feedback from the HO. The report should show the RC understands the home’s current condition, clarifies the HOs aims and understands the potential of the property to meet those aims.  

The report will include information gathered during the survey visit and will provide the HO with an overview of the steps to take, outline what works can be done, and their likely impact. It will show a range of scenarios for home improvement for discussion with the HO. 

The report will include (but not be limited to) the following information: 

Initial project brief: Outlining the HO initial project brief as discussed with the assessor. It is important to be clear about your priorities, so they inform HO decisions. This is a starting point for the future development of the HO detailed project brief. 

Information on the existing condition of home: Including information of indoor environmental quality and any repair work that the HO might need to do. It will describe the context of the property and potential constraints. 

Retrofit scenarios: Outlining potential retrofit scenarios to map out a pathway to significant energy and carbon emissions reductions for the property, usually building from ‘easy wins’ to a full retrofit. Give comparisons and benchmark of these scenarios against targets and existing energy use. 

Summary of specific measures: Provide a summary of the specific measures involved in each scenario including a commentary highlighting things the HO might need to consider in developing their plans. 

Outline of next steps: Provide an outline of what the HO might do next to achieve their aims. Many measures will require further investigation, design, or specialist advice, beyond the scope of the report. This section provides ideas about how to progress this. 

Presentation: The report needs to be written in clear English and a minimal amount of technical jargon, well laid out, easy to follow and adequately explain its purpose. 

Property: The report needs to identify the construction and condition of the property, identify the existing building services in the property, identify any constraints that could impact the selection of energy efficiency measures. 

Occupancy: The report needs to fully explain the levels of occupancy and the impact this has on energy use. 

Improvement options: The evaluation needs to be presented in a way that is easily understood by the HO, recommendations need to be consistent with the occupant and property constraints and the recommendations must be technically correct.