Localgov readers get a 25% discount on Green Deal Summit tickets

With 26 million homes and 1.8 million commercial properties to undergo low carbon retrofit by 2050, many local authorities will already be planning large scale refurbishments.The Green Deal and ECO present many opportunities but are local authorities aware of the implications of engaging in these initiatives.

Thankfully all the resources, knowledge and tools they need in order to implement housing retrofits at scale can be found at Retro Expo – the UK’s first major exhibition and conference dedicated exclusively to low carbon retrofits.

Taking place at the NEC, Birmingham from 30 October –1 November 2012, the show will provide an essential, practical guide to the technologies, products and services that can help deliver retrofit strategies cost effectively and to best value.

Central to Retro Expo will be The Green Deal Summit. Delivered in partnership with the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and Department for Energy of Climate Change (DECC), the Summit will look at the Green Deal and ECO and address key issues such as finance andthe scale of jobs and skills required to meet demand.

It will help you identify which Green Deal model is best for your organisation - Provider, Partner, Participant or Passive player. The challenges and opportunities for decentralised energy generation and what will it mean for your housing stock will also be explored.

With speakers including DECC, Green Deal Finance Company, Energy Saving Trust, Gentoo Green, Willmott Dixon, Arup, British gas, Affinity Sutton, Carillion Energy Services and Marks & Spencer, this is one not to be missed!

City councils will come together to talk about their retrofit plans For the first time ever all of the UK’s leading city councils – Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol and Greater London Authority - will be coming together at the Summit to talk about their retrofit plans.

Sandy Taylor, head of sustainability at Birmingham City Council will kick off Module 3 - Retrofit at Scale - by outlining their pioneering Birmingham Energy Saver’s (BES) programme. They have recently appointed their delivery partner and this is your chance to hear about what this means as BES embarks on a retrofit journey to retrofit the West Midlands.

'Birmingham is really pleased and excited to be hosting the UK's first Retro-fit Show and Green Deal Summit at the NEC,' said Taylor.

'For too long not enough attention has been paid to improving the energy efficiency of the UK's buildings and provide better homes to live in which don't cost the earth to run. With energy prices still rising we must make it easier to retrofit homes.

'Birmingham is leading the way with our Birmingham Energy Savers programme. Our £1.5bn programme shows the value to the supply chain, to local jobs, and to householders from energy efficiency. We are looking forward to showcasing our programme at the Green Deal Summit.'

Michael O’Doherty from Manchester City Council; David Slater, Newcastle City Council; Mareike Schmidt, Bristol City Council and Rachael Hickman from Greater London Authority will alsobe outlining their retrofit strategies, procurement processes and on-going retrofit programmes.

The Energy Efficiency Partnership for Buildings will examine the supply chain challenge and how to win the hearts and minds of homeowners at a local level will be explored by British Gas, Forum of the Future, The Big Lottery Fund and the Sustainable Housing Action Partnership (SHAP). The session will conclude with a debate on how effective ECO will be when it takes over from the CERT and CESP schemes in December 2012.

At Retro Expo delegates can also attend 100 FREE sessions offering practical and technical guidance on low carbon retrofits. Sponsored by EAL and the Technology Strategy Board the programme is divided into four Knowledge Hubs.

The Summit’s seven modules can be purchased by delegates individually or in any combination up to and including a full conference pass. Delegate prices are from only £75 + VAT per module.LGN subscribers can get a 25% discount on all Summit modules.

To book your place visit www.greendealsummit.co.uk/book and use code LGNGDS25.