Revolutionary Retrofit Thinking: Listening
Mel Esquerre has lived what many people want to change.
Governance in the UK has never felt more abstract, more separate, more distant than it does today. The ivory towers that can spawn Mandelson and his cronies seem far, far away from the choices and opportunities in homes, towns and cities across our country.
Antipathy towards central government pervades much of society. Unfortunately, that emotion breeds contempt and anger. And in the sphere of retrofit, particularly social housing, the feeling of having retrofit done to you, rather than with you, is difficult to ignore. The powerless are asked to grip their hats, bow their heads, and be grateful they are even allowed to exist.
“Thank you, sir. God bless you.”
Mel The Messenger
Mel Esquerre is the antithesis. The alternative. A force of revolutionary momentum capable of breaking the inertia in one of the most critical arenas of UK retrofit.
Most people on an average income cannot afford to retrofit their homes. In simple terms, that means they cannot make their homes cheaper to run, healthier for themselves or their children, or better for the environment by reducing the carbon footprint of their lives.
Tenants in mixed-tenure and social housing are often hamstrung by arcane and punitive laws that prioritise landlords or majority stakeholders, while ignoring the voices of those with the most to lose.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
The voice of reason comes from the brilliant mind of a unique woman who represents not only the problem, but a solution. Mel Esquerre’s lived experience reflects the plight of hundreds of thousands of UK residents.
The difference is this: she has a voice. And no one is going to shut her up.
The Legacy That Gives a Better Future
Mel has not just accrued an impressive CV in the sustainability sector; she has experienced being thrust into the role of campaigner, illuminating the stories of herself and her peers suffering at the sharp end of poorly governed retrofit.
Her expertise and achievements enabled her to qualify for the prestigious Churchill Fellowship. That opportunity gave her the space to examine what we are doing in the UK retrofit sector and compare it to the actions and outcomes of our European neighbours.
If you know Mel, you’ll know this wasn’t a task she took lightly. This woman has moxie.
Mel has produced a report from her time on the fellowship that delivers critical insight into a range of European retrofit examples. As she writes:
“How technical innovation can be combined with meaningful resident participation, information, transparent decision-making, and more thoughtful, user-centred design. Taken together, these examples suggest that alternative approaches are both possible and already in practice elsewhere, making retrofit more inclusive, accountable, and responsive to the people who live in the homes being improved.”
- Mel Esquerre
Before we wax lyrical: if you’re a policy wonk, a retrofit professional, or simply humble enough to admit that some things in Europe might be done better than in Britain - read this report. It is important. And it is useful.
Someone has to say it
There must be a reason why so many of the most effective and vocal proponents of solutions in retrofit struggle to be heard. From Ele George to Samantha Mant, from Imandeep Kaur to Sarah Edmonds, from Emma Fletcher to Aileen McDonnell - what is it that links these voices at the vanguard of change?
Perhaps, with time, voices in government might be swayed less by Princes of Darkness and more by voices with a different timbre.