Connecting retrofit innovators with the industry partners who need them

Energy Systems Catapult’s Retrofit Accelerator helped ambitious SMEs scale up their retrofit innovations by connecting them with industry partners facing real-world challenges. Retrofitting older buildings is key to cutting energy use, tackling fuel poverty and making homes healthier – but promising solutions can often struggle to reach the market.

Between March and July 2026, the Catapult gave each innovator a fully funded package of commercial and investment support, and helped them develop trials with EDF, West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Wates Property Services (WPS).

Key stats:

• 8 innovators were matched to industry challenges
• 3 industry partners helped shape challenges to seek solutions
• 4 challenge areas were identified as holding back retrofit efforts

The challenge

The UK retrofit sector is complex, fragmented and under pressure to deliver at scale. Utilities, local authorities and housing providers face stubborn barriers – from unreliable performance data and inefficient building management to low consumer trust.

Innovative SMEs are building solutions to solve them, but solid technological solutions on their own are not enough – many lack clear market positioning, robust financial plans or a practical route to deployment. For industry partners, that means missing out on innovation that could otherwise help them meet their retrofit targets.

The Retrofit Accelerator was designed to close this gap. Rather than starting with a fixed brief, we ran workshops with EDF, WMCA and WPS to pin down the specific problems holding them back. Together, we set four challenge areas:

• Data-led retrofit: using better data to plan, measure and finance retrofits
• Technology-driven optimisation: improving how construction projects and buildings are managed
• Whole-building systems management: helping building owners monitor and cut their energy use
• Consumer-driven retrofit: helping people make more informed choices and have more trust in the products they ultimately buy

An open call invited SMEs, with innovations ready to trial, into a live environment to apply. Industry partners helped select the eight innovators:

• Boxergy – installs domestic low-carbon technologies;
• Build Test Solutions (BTS) – develops technology to measure how buildings perform;
• constructer.ai – develops software that flags live issues on construction projects;
• Green Energy Options (GEO) – designs smart meter displays and apps that help consumers manage their energy use;
• Heliotec – helps multi-site businesses spot energy waste and cut costs;
• Nusku – combines a heat pump and hot water cylinder in a single outdoor unit, making it quicker and easier to install;
• Power Circle – designs, develops and manages smart local energy systems;
• Spinview – gives owners of complex estates a single view of their buildings, assets and energy use.

The solution

Each innovator received a fully funded support package worth more than £20,000. It started with an initial commercial assessment, which shaped tailored mentoring across three areas:

• Commercial strategy: return on investment modelling, business model design and go-to-market planning
• Investment: financial modelling, funding strategy and investor readiness
• Communications: messaging and market positioning

Alongside the mentoring, we helped innovators develop trial proposals, combining the Catapult’s technical expertise and regular meetings with the industry partner that selected them.

These conversations gave innovators direct access to a potential customer, helping them shape what a commercially relevant trial of their innovations could look like.

The impact

The programme helped innovators strengthen their businesses and open doors with industry. Four of the six innovators eligible for trials secured pilots with industry.

Nick Ballamy, Commercial Director of Heliotec, said: “The Retrofit Accelerator put us in front of a major UK energy supplier through a structured challenge process, a conversation that would have taken a young company like ours years to open on our own.

“Being selected through the programme gave us credibility from the very first conversation. With one major UK energy supplier, that led to a live trial where the Heliotec platform is being offered to their small business customers.

“Through this partnership, Heliotec now reaches thousands more small and mid-sized businesses that face time-of-use pricing alongside rising pressure to report on carbon, but don’t have an energy manager. We believe it will become a repeatable model for bringing energy savings to businesses that have never had access to that kind of support, and one we’re keen to extend with other suppliers too.”

Other innovators made strong commercial progress. The programme positioned Nusku to move from innovation to commercial scale with greater confidence and credibility. It secured a £2.4 million Innovate UK loan and launched its heat pump product.

BTS validated a new recurring-revenue business model that its sales team now uses. Spinview launched a new website and introduced new pricing, sales and financial tools.

Linda Wade, CEO of Spinview, said: “The support has gone beyond technology, helping us with financial planning, pricing strategy, market positioning and how we communicate value. It’s really helped us to turn strong technology into a clear commercial proposition.

“The expertise and practical support we’ve received has been incredibly valuable as we continue to grow and now scale the business.

“That has helped shape how we package, position and communicate Spinview, particularly with energy performance and improving existing buildings.”

constructer.ai left with a pre-seed fundraising strategy and a pitch that went on to win a best pitch award.

Power Circle is now working with WMCA on a £1.7 million bid to Innovate UK’s Consumer-led Flexibility programme, with the Catapult as a delivery partner.

Jon Cape, Managing Director of Power Circle, said: “It’s been of immense value to us. Most notably, it’s helped us move into a detailed discussion with funding partners. The mentoring was tremendously useful. It’s introduced us to a number of very helpful delivery partners and site-owning partners as well.”

In June 2026, Energy Systems Catapult hosted our Retrofit Accelerator Showcase at the Building Centre in London. More than 70 investors, industry partners, policymakers and place-based stakeholders came to see the innovators’ solutions, with EDF, WMCA and WPS joining panel discussions on consumer demand, building management and the data behind retrofit.

What’s next?

This is only the start of  our programme’s impact. With trials under way and more in the pipeline, we’re ready to support innovators as they continue to scale up.

If you’re an organisation stuck with a retrofit challenge, or an innovator ready to take that next growth step, get in touch today: info@es.catapult.org.uk