At EARNZ, our purpose is clear: to accelerate the UK's transition to net zero by delivering retrofit and energy services at scale. But here's the uncomfortable truth - delivery alone is not enough. You can insulate ten thousand homes. You can install heat pumps across entire estates. You can tick every box on every government scheme. But if you cannot prove the carbon impact of that work, you've only done half the job. This is where carbon accounting comes in. And I believe it will define the future of retrofit in the UK.
What Gets Measured, Gets Managed
Carbon accounting is exactly what it sounds like: the rigorous process of quantifying the carbon emissions produced or avoided through a building, a project, or an organisation. In retrofit, this means three things. First, measuring the baseline carbon emissions of a property before any work begins. Second, calculating the reduction achieved by measures like insulation, new heating systems, or solar panels. Third, tracking performance over time to ensure those improvements deliver lasting results, not just theoretical savings on a spreadsheet.
The principle is straightforward: what gets measured, gets managed. Without this accountability, retrofit risks becoming an expensive exercise in good intentions rather than measurable progress.
The Stakes Are Higher Than Ever
Housing and buildings are responsible for around 20% of the UK's carbon emissions. If we are serious about achieving the 2030 milestones and reaching net zero by 2050, retrofit must happen at scale, and its results must be quantifiable. This isn't an abstract policy debate. It's about credibility.
Carbon accounting allows us to show where interventions have the greatest impact. It validates the effectiveness of government programmes like ECO4 and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. It builds trust with investors and clients by providing a clear, evidence-based picture of carbon savings. Without it, we're asking people to take our word for it. And in an era of greenwashing and missed targets, nobody's word is good enough anymore.
The Policy and Investment Reality
The policy environment is shifting rapidly. Funding is increasingly tied to demonstrable carbon outcomes. If you cannot evidence the carbon savings from your work, you will struggle to access the capital that fuels growth. The same is true for investment. ESG-linked finance is no longer a niche interest, it's mainstream. Investors want transparency. They want to see clear evidence that the projects they back are reducing emissions in line with targets, not just in theory but in practice.
At EARNZ, we are determined to provide that evidence. Not because it's a nice-to-have, but because it's becoming table stakes.
The Uncomfortable Challenges
Let's be honest... there are significant challenges ahead.
Data is fragmented. Emissions data is often incomplete, inconsistent, or held in silos across different organisations and systems. Getting a clear picture of baseline performance can feel like archaeology. Performance gaps persist. Predicted savings too often diverge from real-world results. The gap between modelled efficiency and actual energy use, the so-called "performance gap", remains one of the most stubborn problems in the sector. Methodologies differ. Not all carbon accounting approaches align, leading to confusion and undermining comparability. When one organisation measures carbon one way and another measures it differently, how do we know what's working?
As a sector, we must move towards standardisation and real-world measurement. Closing these gaps is critical if retrofit is to command full trust from government, investors, and the public.
The Opportunity Hiding in Plain Sight
But here's the thing: for those who rise to the challenge, carbon accounting opens up major opportunities. It enables smarter investment decisions, ensuring funding flows to the projects with the greatest carbon return rather than those that simply tick procurement boxes. It drives continuous improvement, using data to refine retrofit strategies and learn what actually works in different building types, for different households, in different regions. It provides clearer communication, showing residents, clients, and investors exactly what has been achieved, not vague promises, but measurable outcomes. And it creates competitive advantage. Businesses that can evidence carbon savings will stand out in procurement processes and policy frameworks. The ones that can't will get left behind.
How EARNZ Is Responding
Our group has been built deliberately to meet this challenge. We don't just deliver retrofit projects but are building the infrastructure to measure and verify their impact.
A&D Carbon Solutions focuses on improving EPC ratings and accessing funding that directly links to carbon outcomes. South West Heating Services delivers vital heating installations and maintenance, sustaining efficiency long after installation. Cosgrove & Drew ensures compliance and facilities management, helping projects perform years after completion. National Retrofit Solutions and Warm Low Living provide end-to-end retrofit delivery with full accountability.
Together, these companies provide not just delivery capacity, but the backbone for accurate measurement and accountability. We are deliberately building a group that can deliver at scale while evidencing outcomes with clarity and rigour.
The Line We Must Hold
Carbon accounting is no longer optional. It is becoming the lens through which retrofit will be judged, by government, by investors, by communities, and by history. At EARNZ, we are committed to leading in this area. Our responsibility is not just to deliver projects, but to prove their impact in measurable, verifiable terms. Because retrofit represents one of the greatest opportunities to cut emissions, reduce costs, and improve lives.
Carbon accounting is how we ensure that this opportunity translates into real progress towards net zero, not just good intentions, but documented, undeniable results. The question is not whether carbon accounting will become standard practice. The question is which companies will lead the way, and which will be left scrambling to catch up.
We intend to be in the first group.
