International Retrofit Conference 2025
Summary
The International Retrofit Conference (IRC’25), is aimed at bringing together experts, professionals, researchers, and industry stakeholders from around the world on domestic, non-domestic, social housing, and district/neighbourhood retrofit. The conference will serve as a collaborative platform to address the pressing challenges and opportunities in retrofitting existing structures for enhanced sustainability and energy efficiency.
By fostering international collaboration and knowledge sharing, the conference seeks to accelerate the adoption of sustainable retrofitting practices globally, contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions and the creation of more resilient and energy-efficient built environments. In conclusion, the International Retrofit Conference will serve as a catalyst for transformative change in the way we approach existing structures, aligning them with the principles of sustainability and resilience. This conference has the potential to impact the future of retrofitting practices worldwide, paving the way for a more sustainable and environmentally conscious built environment.
The conference aims to attract a diverse audience, including academics from various disciplines, architects, engineers, policymakers, environmentalists, and representatives from the construction and retrofitting industries. The conference also encourages PhD students to attend.
The International Retrofit Conference will take place from Wednesday 02 July to Friday 04 July, 2025, at the University of Salford’s New Adelphi.
Wednesday 02 Jul 2025 – The conference will kick off with a half-day online session in the afternoon
Thursday 03 Jul 2025 – Academic focused agenda and presentations
Friday 04 Jul 2025 – Industry-centric discussions, academic presentations and keynote speakers
There will be the ability to watch on line each day if you are unable to travel to Salford. For those attending in-person there will be a tour of the University of Salford and the Energy House Labs.
After the conference, a select number of papers will be invited to publish in the ENERGIES special issue, Innovative Approaches to Retrofitting for Sustainable Built Environments.
Themes
The IRC’25 will feature keynote speeches from both academics and industry leaders, along with oral presentations of academic research and poster sessions. Topics will include, but are not limited to:
- Occupant – comfort, decision-making, costs/bills, design and detailing, occupant experience, usability, co-benefit: health
- Retrofit design and delivery – application best practice, innovative materials, services, construction methods, digital, systems
- Performance and evaluation – LCA, BPS, net zero, energy efficiency, modelling and monitoring/measuring, POE
- Scaling up – management, skills, supply chains, procurement, business models, finances
- Policies – national international state of art and policy gap, fuel poverty, housing crisis
Objectives
The IRC’25 will centre on discussing methods for retrofitting residential buildings to achieve net zero, with a particular emphasis on the following objectives:
- Knowledge Exchange: Facilitate the exchange of cutting-edge research, advancements, and case studies related to retrofitting strategies, technologies, and methodologies.
- Networking: Provide a forum for professionals, academics, policymakers, and industry leaders to connect, fostering international collaborations and partnerships.
- Policy Advocacy: Address the importance of supportive policies and regulations to encourage widespread adoption of retrofitting practices on a global scale.
- Technology Showcase: Feature a dedicated exhibition space for companies and organizations to showcase the latest retrofitting technologies, products, and services.
- Capacity Building: Offer workshops and training sessions to enhance the skills and knowledge of attendees in the field of retrofitting, promoting continuous learning.
- Environmental Impact: Highlight the role of retrofitting in mitigating climate change, reducing carbon footprints, and achieving sustainability goals.
Keynote Speakers
| William Swan | Director at Energy House Labs |
| Jan Rosenow | Senior Associate of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership |
| Rokia Raslan | Professor of Built Environment Decarbonisation at the UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering |
| Gavin Killip | Professor of Buildings & Energy Policy at Nottingham Trent University |
| Lubo Jankovic | Professor of Energy & Buildings at Energy House Labs |
| John Christophers | Retrofit Coordinator of Zero Carbon House |
| Collin Timmins | Director of Homes at National Energy Action |
| John Edwards | Director from Edwards Hart Consultants (national authorities on heritage retrofit) |
| Dan Griffiths | Greater Manchester Combined Authority |
| Filip Descamps | Partner at Daidalos Peutz building physics engineering (Leuven, Belgium) |
| Marienne Heaslap | Technical Director, People Powered Retrofit |
Programme – Day One – Thursday 03 July
The online session is taking place in the afternoon of Wednesday 02 July 2025.
| Start | End | Day One | Thursday 03 Jul 2025 |
| 08:30 | 09:20 | Registration & Networking | |
| 09:20 | 09:30 | Opening | William Swan |
| 09:30 | 10:00 | Keynote Speaker 1 | William Swan – The Wicked Problem of Retrofit |
| 10:00 | 10:30 | Keynote Speaker 2 | Jan Rosenow – Beyond Incrementalism: The Radical Retrofit Needed for True Building Decarbonisation |
| 10:30 | 11:00 | Coffee Break | |
| 11:00 | 11:30 | Keynote Speaker 3 | Rokia Raslan – Future-Fit Retrofit: Navigating the Nexus of Complexity, Innovation, and Resilience |
| 11:30 | 13:00 | Parallel Session 1 | 3 Breakout rooms. 5-6 Paper presentations each |
| 13:00 | 14:00 | Lunch | |
| 14:00 | 14:30 | Keynote Speaker 4 | Gavin Killip – The multiple benefits, challenges and dilemmas of retrofit. |
| 14:30 | 15:00 | Keynote Speaker 5 | Lubo Jankovic and John Christophers – Retrofit Re-examined: Reflections on UK’s first zero carbon retrofit |
| 15:00 | 15:30 | Coffee Break | |
| 15:30 | 17:00 | Parallel Session 2 | 3 Breakout rooms. 5-6 Paper presentations each |
| 17:00 | 18:00 | Tour of Energy House 2.0 | |
| 19:30 | 22:30 | Conference Dinner |
Conference programme subject to change
Programme – Day Two – Friday 04 July – Industry Day
| Start | End | Day Two | Friday 04 July 2025 |
| 08:30 | 09:20 | Registration & Networking | |
| 09:20 | 09:30 | Opening | William Swan |
| 09:30 | 10:00 | Keynote Speaker 1 | Colin Timmins – Residential heating optimisation and affordability – are we failing the least well off? |
| 10:00 | 10:30 | Keynote Speaker 2 | John Edwards – The Retrofit of Traditional and Historic Buildings |
| 10:30 | 11:00 | Coffee Break | |
| 11:00 | 11:30 | Keynote Speaker 3 | Dan Griffiths – Accelerating Retrofit through Devolution |
| 11:30 | 12:30 | Parallel Session 1 | 3 breakout rooms: 1) industry sponsor presentation; 2) industry sponsor presentation; 3) 3–4 industry paper presentations |
| 12:30 | 14:00 | Lunch/Exhitbition | |
| 14:00 | 15:00 | Parallel Session 2 | 3 breakout rooms: 1) industry sponsor presentation; 2) industry sponsor presentation; 3) 3–4 industry paper presentations |
| 15:00 | 15:30 | Keynote Speaker 4 | Filip Descamps – Technology Pathways for Energy-Efficient Homes: A Decision-Making Toolkit |
| 15:30 | 16:00 | Keynote Speaker 5 | Marienne Heaslap – Exploring the Retrofit Experience for Homeowners |
| 16:00 | 16:10 | Closing |
Conference Programme subject to change
Important dates
| Task | Deadline Date |
| Open for abstract submissions | 01 July 2024 |
| Deadline for abstract submissions | 21 October 2024 |
| Notification of abstract acceptance | 15 November 2024 |
| Open for conference registration | 15 November 2024 |
| Open for full paper submission | 15 November 2024 |
| Deadline for full papers | 28 February 2025 |
| Notification of full paper acceptance | 25 April 2025 |
| Final paper submission for conference proceeding | 15 May 2025 |
| Deadline for early bird registration | 15 May 2025 |
| Deadline for final registration | 15 June 2025 |
| Deadline to register for tours of Energy House Labs facilities | 15 June 2025 |
| Conference | 02-04 July 2025 |
Registration fees and process
The registration process begins once your paper is accepted. It is mandatory for at least one author of an accepted paper to register in order for the paper to appear in the proceedings and in the technical programme.
The registration fee covers your costs during the conference period, including conference proceeding publication fee, lunch, and coffee break. Please note that you can join the conference banquet for an additional £55.
The conference will follow a hybrid delivery model. Wednesday 02 July 2025 will be online only, Thursday 03 July 2025 and Friday 04 July 2025 will be held in-person on the University of Salford’s Peel Park campus, and available to watch online.
| Attendee | Early Bird Price (until 15 May) | Full Price |
| Online only | £270 | £270 |
| In-person one day (Thursday 03 July 2025 or Friday 04 July 2025) | £175 | £175 |
| Online (Wednesday 02 July 2025) and in-person (Thursday 03 July 2025 & Friday 04 July 2025) | £270 | £320 |
| Online (Wednesday 02 July 2025) and in-person (Thursday 03 July 2025 & Friday 04 July 2025) – student rate | £100 | £120 |
| Conference Dinner (Thursday 03 July 2025) | £55 | £55 |
| Tours of Energy House Labs (Thursday 03 July 2025 & Friday 04 July 2025) | Free | Free |
- Conference Registration
- A registered author is only allowed to present a maximum two papers, including oral presentation and/or poster presentation
- Full time students, not including post-doctoral, must provide proof of their full-time status (a copy of your valid student ID card or a letter from your affiliated Institution Head or Programme Director)
- The accompanying person is not allowed to attend the conference. The fee only covers their lunches and coffee. Please email the conference organisers to register the accompanying person.
- Tours of Energy House Labs are free but must be booked through the conference registration page.
Full Paper Submission
The full paper submission has now closed.
Organisers
Please visit the Organisers page for full details
Scientific Committee/Chairs
| Dr Angela Connelly | Manchester Metropolitan University |
| Dr Laura Council | University of Salford |
| Dr Rosi Fieldson | University of Lincoln |
| Prof Richard Fitton | University of Salford |
| Prof David Glew | Leeds Beckett University |
| Prof Lubo Jankovic | University of Salford |
| Dr Yingchun Ji | University of Salford |
| Prof Gavin Killip | Nottingham Trent University |
| Dr Emmanuel Manu | Nottingham Trent University |
| Dr Trivess Moore | RMIT University, Australia |
| Dr Kate Simpson | Nottingham Trent University |
| Dr Chris Tsang | University of Salford |
| Dr Chris Whitman | Cardiff University |
| Dr Jill Zhao | University of West of England |
Location
New Adelphi, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4WT.
New Adelphi is on the University’s Peel Park campus, listed as building ‘G’ on the campus map.
Accommodation
All rooms are held on an on-line system, allowing you to book and secure your own accommodation using either pro-forma invoices or credit/debit card. If you require any assistance with your reservation, support is available via the Accommodation Booking Team.
Marketing Manchester Convention Bureau is the official accommodation provider for The International Retrofit Conference 2025.
To book accommodation for this event, please use this link: https://book.passkey.com/e/50861547
Negotiated delegate rates will be available to book until the end of the day on Wednesday 04 June 2025, so please book as soon as possible to guarantee a room.
If you have any queries about the website, please contact Marketing Manchester Convention Bureau at abs@visitmanchester.com.
About Manchester
For more information on Manchester as a destination, please visit https://www.meetinmanchester.com/. Here, you will discover all things to do in Manchester – from events and attractions to fine dining and a great night out.
Download a digital version of the city centre map.
For city transport information please see tfgm.com.
Contact
For queries about abstracts and the conference programme, please email: retrofit2025@salford.ac.uk
For queries about conference registration and logistics, please email: retrofitconf-com@salford.ac.uk
Conference Sponsors
