The draft Retrofit Assessor Standard BS 40104:2024, titled Retrofit assessment for domestic dwellings, has been published for national consultation, the Solid Wall Insulation Guarantee Agency (SWIGA) has reported. The draft is open for public comment until 22 September 20241.
The standard covers all aspects of pre-retrofit assessment, from desktop work and onsite work through to reporting and a data collection scheme. SWIGA said the project took two years and four months to complete and involved a cross-sector group of experts1.
"This is at draft stage and ready for public comment."
The draft sets out nine areas of coverage: context assessment; condition assessment; ventilation assessment; occupancy assessment; energy performance assessment; site specific context assessment; significance assessment; reporting and lodgement; and competencies1.
| Area covered by the draft standard |
|---|
| Context assessment |
| Condition assessment |
| Ventilation assessment |
| Occupancy assessment |
| Energy performance assessment |
| Site specific context assessment |
| Significance assessment |
| Reporting and lodgement |
| Competencies |
The standard is intended for use by assessors, building surveyors, designers, coordinators of retrofit programmes and other professionals assessing dwellings prior to retrofit. SWIGA states it might also be of interest to small and medium-sized enterprises in the construction field and to landlords. It does not cover fire, electrical and gas safety, or the structural elements of dwellings1.
SWIGA describes the standard as developed to improve assessments of existing dwellings and to bring a consistent approach to what it calls a key step in the retrofit journey, on the basis that later decisions depend on the information gathered at assessment stage1.
Why it matters for households
A retrofit assessment is the point at which a home's condition, ventilation, occupancy and energy performance are recorded before any work is specified. The draft standard is intended to make that step consistent across the UK, so the information behind decisions on a property's energy performance rests on a defined method rather than an assessor's individual approach1.
For a householder, the practical effect sits in what is recorded and how. The draft covers ventilation and occupancy alongside energy performance, and it covers reporting and lodgement, meaning the assessment output is documented. The draft explicitly excludes fire, electrical and gas safety and structural elements, so those matters sit outside this standard1.
The standard is at draft stage, so nothing in it is settled. Its scope, and the competencies expected of assessors, remain open to comment until the consultation closes1.
What happens next
Public comment on the draft is invited before 22 September 2024, with feedback submitted through the consultation1. SWIGA has encouraged readers to read the draft and provide direct feedback. No date for publication of a final standard has been reported1.