The MP for Bracknell, Peter Swallow, visited BSRIA (the Building Services Research and Intelligence Association) in Old Bracknell Lane West to discuss the government’s Warm Homes Plan. BSRIA employs more than 180 people and has produced a white paper called 'Retrofit Testing For Warm Homes' that aligns with the plan.
The visit focused on improving the performance of Bracknell and UK housing through building retrofit and performance testing. Mr Swallow toured BSRIA’s laboratories and met the team behind the research, which is aimed at civil servants, policy‑makers, housing providers, local authorities and other public bodies involved in funding and assuring retrofit programmes.
BSRIA says building performance testing should be a core part of every retrofit project. Robust testing before, during and after work can avoid installation failures and costly remediation, and helps target investment so upgrades actually improve comfort, cut running costs and reduce carbon emissions.
Mr Swallow said: "Too many of my constituents live in damp, mouldy homes and are scared to turn on the heating. This is totally unacceptable. It was good to hear from BSRIA how cutting-edge testing can help ensure that we're investing in the right solutions and the right places to tackle these issues."
Tom Garrigan, Executive Director at BSRIA, said: "With the Warm Homes Plan, the Government has recognised that warmer homes, lower bills, reduced fuel poverty and lower carbon emissions benefit everyone. Having Mr Swallow shows that there's an understanding that improving the UK's housing stock is a delivery challenge. Mr Swallow was keen to learn more about the retrofit process, and how understanding the building you're working with is key. That means knowing how it's insulated, its airtightness, ventilation and heat loss. Then you design systems around that reality. Robust retrofit testing enables targeted investment, avoiding the waste and disruption of unnecessary upgrades, and improves outcomes by planning interventions based on actual building performance."
The visit took place on Friday, March 6.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
