The Government’s Warm Homes Plan represents the most significant public investment in residential retrofit in recent years. With £15 billion of public funding allocated to upgrade up to 5 million homes through improved insulation,heat pumps and integrated renewables, it sends a clear message: building performance is now central to national energy strategy.

For those of us working in building services engineering and low-carbon design, this renewed focus is both necessary and overdue.Improving thermal efficiency, reducing energy demand and supporting electrification of heat are critical steps if households are to see lasting reductions in bills and emissions.

However, homes are only part of the picture. If the UK is serious about meeting its net zero commitments and strengthening long-term resilience, the same performance-led mindset must extend beyond the domestic sector.

Why non-domestic buildings matter to net zero delivery

Commercial offices, hospitals, education estates, heritage assets, data centres and other non-domestic buildings collectively account for a substantial share of operational energy demand: approximately 17% of the UK’s final energy consumption. Unlike homes, these buildings have variable and often high-intensity occupancy patterns, complex plant and controls requirements, and critical operational constraints.

In these environments, energy performance is not a single-measure solution. It is the product of integrated engineering design, robust controls strategy and ongoing optimisation.

Recent industry commentary around the Warm Homes Plan has emphasised the importance of professional standards and delivery quality in retrofit. That insight is just as relevant, and arguably more so, in non-domestic buildings, where the technical complexity and operational risk are significantly greater.

For project managers, architects, surveyors and contractors, this creates a clear imperative: carbon reduction and compliance targets must be translated into systems that actually perform in use, not simply installed in specification.

Installation is not performance

A consistent lesson across building services projects is that installing low-carbon technologies does not automatically deliver low-carbon outcomes. Even well-specified heat pumps, chillers or ventilation systems can underperform if controls logic and sequencing are not carefully engineered. The real opportunity lies in intelligent integration.

Upgrading and refining control strategies, implementing demand-based ventilation, aligning heating and cooling set points with occupancy patterns, and embedding monitoring and analytics can often unlock significant reductions in energy consumption - without the disruption and cost of major structural intervention.

These performance challenges are not abstract. For a project manager or architect planning a major refurbishment, for a surveyor assessing building compliance, or for a contractor delivering plant and controls upgrades, the difference between design intent and operational reality can be significant. Only real-world performance and not installed kit alone, will deliver the carbon reductions, cost savings and occupant outcomes that clients, regulators and investors increasingly demand.

This is where building services engineering delivers measurable value, and where our industry must continue to lead.

Where engineering expertise adds measurable value

In practice, meaningful performance improvement often depends on controls logic aligned with actual occupancy patterns, demand-based ventilation strategies, post-installation commissioning and tuning, and monitoring systems that verify performance in use.

In healthcare settings operating 24/7, sequencing and zoning can significantly reduce unnecessary plant hours while maintaining compliance. In education estates, linking ventilation to CO₂ levels can balance indoor air quality and energy use. In commercial offices, continuous optimisation protects asset value and regulatory compliance. In heritage buildings, where fabric upgrades are constrained, refined services integration can provide the primary route to carbon reduction. In data centres, airflow management and commissioning discipline directly influence PUE and operational cost.

Across all sectors, the challenge is not technology availability but ensuring systems work together as intended, consistently, and over time.

Skills, standards and resilience

Retrofit success depends on workforce capability and professional standards. Scaling delivery requires structured quality assurance and competent implementation across the supply chain, where early engineering engagement and cross-disciplinary coordination is needed to avoid performance shortfall.

Resilience is equally important. TheUK Green Building Council has highlighted the need to put resilience at the centre of retrofit thinking, to ensure buildings can cope with climate pressures and operational shocks. Embedding resilience intoM&E design, through adaptive controls, redundancy planning and predictive diagnostics, ensures buildings perform under stress, not just under ideal conditions.

Energy performance, comfort and reliability are interdependent. Achieving one without compromising the others requires coordinated engineering leadership from concept through to operation.

Performance in use is the true measure of success

The Warm Homes Plan reinforces an important principle:improving buildings improves lives. For residential stock, that means warmer homes, lower bills and reduced emissions.

But for the wider built environment of the workplaces, hospitals, schools, heritage assets and digital infrastructure that underpin the economy, success will be judged by operational outcomes: measured energy reduction, verified carbon savings, improved indoor environmental quality and long-term resilience.

This requires a shift from installation-focused thinking to performance-focused delivery.

At GBD, our approach centres on integrated mechanical and electrical strategy, intelligent controls design, rigorous commissioning and data-driven optimisation. Whether supporting healthcare estates, commercial portfolios, heritage refurbishments or mission-critical infrastructure, our goal is consistent: ensure buildings perform as designed and continue to perform over time.

The Warm Homes Plan provides welcome momentum for residential retrofit. Now the industry must sustain that momentum across all building types, because net zero will not be delivered by installations alone - it will be delivered by buildings that demonstrably perform.

For more information on how Green Building Design can support your project with performance-led M&E engineering, retrofit strategy and operational optimisation, contact us today.

‍

‍

‍