Dr. Brian Motherway:

The great advantage of retrofitting housing, compared to many other areas, is that it is very labour-intensive. By our reckoning, the total cost of some insulation measures is 70% labour and 30% materials and technology, which rates very well compared to other areas. That is one of the reasons the schemes have proven popular and continue to be supported. It is labour-intensive in a sector that needs work. Ultimately, we still want to build on that. The more homes that are retrofitted, the more jobs are supported. From speaking to people in their homes, they often value that component strongly. They say one of the reasons they decided to spend money upgrading their home is that they wanted to create local employment in the construction sector. It is a major platform, but the more we do - particularly in the context of pay-as-you-save and other models - the more we can unlock greater participation, and the employment potential will grow as well.