Liverpool City Region is retrofitting more than 6,000 homes with insulation, efficient heating, and other measures, and this study will track whether the programme actually reaches the people who need it most and improves their health. The problem is that housing retrofit programmes are often assumed to reduce health inequalities by cutting heating costs and making homes warmer and less damp. But no one has systematically checked whether current programmes distribute support fairly, which specific measures deliver the biggest health and financial benefits, or how those benefits differ across groups such as older people, families, or those with long-term illnesses. If this evaluation succeeds, it will give local authorities and the NHS concrete evidence on where to target retrofit funding for maximum impact. The findings could reshape how cities across the UK design and deliver retrofit programmes, potentially reducing NHS service use by preventing cold- and damp-related illnesses. For the 6,000 Liverpool households involved, the study may reveal whether the programme actually reduces stress, improves comfort, and eases financial pressure—or whether it falls short for certain groups.
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Background: Housing retrofit programmes include a range of measures aimed at improving the energy efficiency, safety, and comfort of existing buildings. These measures can result in improvements to peoples’ financial situation because their heating costs are reduced, along with health and wellbeing benefits because their home is warmer, less damp and more comfortable to live in which can also help people to feel less stressed. Housing retrofit programmes are typically targeted at those who are less able to afford to make improvements to their home and as such they may play an important role in reducing health inequalities. However, we do not know whether current programmes get support to the people who need it most, what kinds of support have the biggest benefits, and how these differ for different groups. We are therefore evaluating Liverpool City Region’s programme to retrofit more than 6,000 homes between 2021 and the present day (approximately early 2025 when the research commences) to address these knowledge gaps. Aims: The study aims to understand: 1) whether access to housing retrofit programmes in Liverpool is fair for everyone and, if not, what impact this could have on differences in people’s health, 2) how people experience the programme including the ways in which it has or has not influenced their financial situation, health and wellbeing, 3) what helps the programme to work well and what hinders it, and 4) what impact the programme could have on potentially reducing use of NHS services if housing retrofit programmes help improve people’s health and wellbeing. Methods: In this study we are working with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. We will use data they collect on people who make use of their housing retrofit programme to understand whether access is fair for everyone and what impact this could have on differences in people’s health along with the wider implications of any changes in health for NHS services. We will also undertake focus groups with people living in Liverpool who have received housing retrofit support, along with staff and stakeholders across the city who help people to access this support, to understand the ways in which it has or has not influenced peoples’ financial situation, health and wellbeing. The focus groups will also help us to understand what is currently working well in the programme and what hinders it. Public involvement: Plans for public involvement during the study will be monitored by the PHIRST LiLaC Public Advisor Panel and the designated public contributor will be involved in overseeing and contributing to public involvement activity throughout the study. We plan to work closely with organisations in Liverpool who support people to access the housing retrofit programme and they will be invited to provide feedback on the findings from the study. Sharing the findings: Results from the study will be shared with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and other organisations across Liverpool who support people to access the housing retrofit programme. They will also be shared with other local authorities and stakeholders across the country who are interested in, delivering, or funding similar programmes along with policy makers. The findings will also be published in academic journals. Further, we will be guided by local organisations regarding any additional outputs that it may be beneficial to produce.
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