Helping a Home Breathe 365 Days a Year
22/06/2026
Mustafa Mustafa,
By Mustafa Mustafa, Decarbonisation Director, Morgan Sindall Property Services
When most people think about retrofit, they think about keeping homes warm in winter.
For years, the conversation has focused on insulation, reducing heat loss and lowering energy bills. While these remain essential objectives, a successful retrofit should do much more than simply keep a property warm during the colder months. It should create a healthier home that performs effectively throughout the year.
A well-retrofitted home should be comfortable in January and in July. It should retain warmth when temperatures fall and avoid overheating when temperatures rise. In simple terms, it should be able to breathe.
As our climate changes, overheating is becoming an increasingly important consideration. Many of the homes we are improving today were designed for a different climate, where heat retention was often the primary concern. However, hotter summers and more frequent heatwaves mean that retrofit strategies must now consider both warming and cooling across a 12-month period.
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