The Community Approaches to Retrofit in Manchester (ChARisMa) project aimed to understand how energy savings and fuel poverty can be addressed through collaborative, community-based programmes, using Greater Manchester as a case study. Our work focused on five retrofit case studies, and involved stakeholder interviews and site visits.
CHARISMA provided insights into how social housing providers are developing innovative approaches to retrofit that can realise multiple aims of energy and carbon savings, occupant comfort and fuel poverty. Findings from the research were shared with practitioners, policymakers, and academics at a workshop in summer 2014. The findings were also of relevance to community organisations, social housing providers, local authorities, design professionals, installers, and other stakeholders who are interested in the fostering new cultures of domestic energy consumption.
CHARISMA was funded by the University of Manchester’s Faculty of Humanities Strategic Investment Research Fund.
Updates about the project can be found on this link.
Project Team
Dr Andrew Karvonen (Architecture), Dr Saska Petrova (Geography), Dr Jenni Viitanen (Planning)
Project Blog and Updates:
CHARISMA workshop report: Community retrofit for housing professionals
Jenni Cauvain, a team member of the CHARISMA project reflects on the current issues related to community retrofit and social housing in Greater Manchester, which…
Announcing a new project: Community Approaches to Retrofit in Manchester – CHARISMA
An estimated 75 to 80 per cent of the current housing stock in the UK will exist in 2050. There is growing recognition that extensive retrofit…
Urban Energy Transformations Hub 