Opportunities being missed to retrofit commercial buildings, says UKGBC

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has launched new guidance on retrofitting large office buildings, highlighting missed opportunities and reframing the process as iterative rather than a standalone project.

UKGBC argues that office investors, owners, and occupiers without clear retrofit strategies are failing to capitalise on “easy wins” – low-cost, low-disruption measures that reduce energy consumption – and key “trigger points” in lease and maintenance cycles that facilitate efficient retrofitting.

Building owners who fail to take action could be left with stranded assets as market demand for sustainable spaces grows and minimum energy efficiency standards tighten. A significant 77% of UK office stock currently has an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating below B and is projected to be unlettable by 2030.

UKGBC’s report emphasises that deep retrofitting is generally needed to achieve substantial cuts in operational energy use (60-65%), transition building systems away from fossil fuels, and meet best practice energy performance targets for offices by 2030-2035. Both optimisation and light retrofitting (26% and 15%, respectively) offer significant reductions in operational energy use and are cost- and carbon-effective measures. Taking intermediate steps could enable smoother and less extensive deep retrofits down the line.

A lack of clarity from the government regarding minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) deadlines has led to hesitation or delays among investors and owners. UKGBC argues for a performance-based policy framework, as EPC ratings only indicate potential performance and do not reflect actual energy use. Energy optimisation, integral to maximising efficiency through light and deep retrofitting, relies on continued collaboration, monitoring, and data sharing between landlords and occupiers to improve and maintain performance levels.

UKGBC concludes by calling for mandatory measurement and reporting of whole life carbon for major projects to enable evidence-based decision-making and demonstrate the carbon savings of retrofitting compared to new construction.

Yetunde Abdul, head of climate action at UKGBC, said:

“Retrofitting our commercial buildings is critical to achieving our net zero carbon goals. The scale of the challenge and the rate of decarbonisation needed means ambitions need to be redoubled, without overlooking the easy wins. If all stakeholders are prepared to collaborate and be transparent, there is huge long-term environmental, social and economic value to be secured.”

UKGBC says its new guidance has been informed by live data and insights shared by a Task Group of industry experts, including representatives of Arup, ISG, British Land, Canary Wharf Group, Deloitte and Lloyds Banking Group. The report includes a range of real-world case studies that provide practical examples of retrofit strategies, and tangible outcomes across arrange of metrics including operational energy performance, whole life carbon emissions and projected returns on investment, as well as health, wellbeing and social value.

Read BUILDING THE CASE FOR NET ZERO: RETROFITTING OFFICE BUILDINGS