Petsou, Athina; Altamirano, Hector; Hong, Sung-Min; Marincioni, Valentina; (2025) Thermal comfort in UK retrofit practice: the practitioners' perspective. Energy and Buildings , 347 (A) , Article 116288. 10.1016/j.enbuild.2025.116288.

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Abstract

This study explores the role of thermal comfort in UK retrofit practices through the perspectives of practitioners. A survey of 29 professionals, including engineers, architects, and policy consultants, was conducted to gather data on their priorities, methods, and challenges. The survey included multiple-choice and open-ended questions, analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results indicate that energy efficiency and thermal comfort are top priorities for practitioners, but there is an identified gap between these priorities and their practical implementation. Challenges include cost-effectiveness, resident engagement, and balancing heritage conservation with energy efficiency. The study highlights the need for implementation of standards and methodologies to better integrate thermal comfort into retrofit practices. Addressing the identified gaps in practice requires a holistic approach, incorporating user perspectives and adaptive comfort principles to enhance retrofit outcomes and occupant well-being to better support the practitioners. The study’s findings could have significant implications for policy and practice in the UK retrofit sector. For policymakers, the results provide evidence for the need for comprehensive standards or process design for thermal comfort within energy efficiency interventions and other criteria that practitioners have recognised as important.

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