The first in a series of evaluations that will be published over the coming months, the report is an output from a major evaluation of a pre-1919 tenement net zero retrofit demonstration project in Glasgow, supported by the Scottish Funding Council Climate Emergency competition.

It is a social cost benefit analysis comparing the costs and wider benefits of the actual project alongside two counterfactual comparators (demolish/new build and an EESSH2 retrofit), carefully examined using standard techniques but incorporating good practice throughout, and the testing of assumptions through sensitivity analysis.

Authors Anthony Higney from the University of Stirling and Prof Ken Gibb from the University of Glasgow say this novel and important work will be of interest to all parties seeking new and rigorous evidence when contemplating retrofit of older buildings, for the social housing sector, and the wider housing and retrofit communities puzzling over the different options open regarding green retrofit of the harder to tackle existing housing stock.

The research is available here.