If you’re thinking about a career in domestic retrofit, or you’re trying to understand the roles involved in a PAS 2035 project, you may be asking: What Is The Difference Between A Retrofit Assessor and a Retrofit Coordinator?
While both roles are essential to delivering high-quality energy efficiency improvements, they have very different responsibilities. Put simply, a Retrofit Assessor gathers the information, while a Retrofit Coordinator manages the entire retrofit process from start to finish.
Understanding the difference can help you choose the right career path or decide which qualification is the best next step.
What does a Retrofit Assessor do?
A Retrofit Assessor is responsible for carrying out a detailed assessment of an existing property. Their role is to understand how the home performs today before any improvements are recommended.
A Retrofit Assessment typically includes information about:
The property’s construction and condition
Assessing the existing ventilation
Floor plans, measurements and photographs
Existing insulation and heating systems
Occupancy and how the home is used
An RdSAP assessment to understand current energy performance
The information collected forms the foundation of a PAS 2035 retrofit project. It helps identify the most appropriate energy efficiency improvements for the property. The Retrofit Assessor’s role is to carry out a series of in-depth property assessments that feeds into the wider retrofit process.
For many Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs), becoming a Retrofit Assessor is a natural progression, allowing them to build on their existing knowledge while expanding into PAS 2035 projects.
What does a Retrofit Coordinator do?
A Retrofit Coordinator has a much broader responsibility. Rather than inspecting the property themselves, they oversee the entire retrofit project, ensuring every stage complies with PAS 2035.
Their key responsibilities include:
Reviewing the Retrofit Assessment
Coordinating designers, installers and other specialists
Ensuring measures are installed in the correct order
Managing technical risks
Producing or overseeing the Medium-Term Improvement Plan
Monitoring quality and compliance throughout the project
The Retrofit Coordinator is professionally responsible for making sure the retrofit is delivered safely, effectively and in line with the required standards. They oversee the whole retrofit process rather than just one stage of it.
Which role is right for you?
The answer depends on the type of work you enjoy.
If you like visiting properties, carrying out surveys and collecting technical information, becoming a Retrofit Assessor could be the ideal choice.
If you prefer managing projects, coordinating multiple professionals and taking overall responsibility for delivering successful retrofit programmes, a career as a Retrofit Coordinator may be a better fit.
Many professionals actually progress through both roles. Many Retrofit Assessors later upskill to become Retrofit Coordinators as they gain experience, as the role of Retrofit Coordinator is a more in-depth and technically challenging role.
Can one person perform both roles?
In some projects, yes.
PAS 2035 allows appropriately qualified individuals to undertake more than one role, provided there is no conflict of interest and they hold the required competencies. This means experienced professionals may work as both a Retrofit Assessor and a Retrofit Coordinator where appropriate.
Start your retrofit career
Both roles are helping improve the energy performance of the UK’s housing stock while supporting safer, higher-quality retrofit projects. The choice of which role is best for you comes down to whether you’d rather be collecting the information that shapes a project or managing the entire process.
Whatever your preference, Energy Trust has both Retrofit Assessor Course and Retrofit Coordinator Course options to help you reach your goals. For both of these qualifications, our courses are entirely self-paced, meaning you can complete them at your own pace at a time and place that suits you. If you would like to know more, either explore these courses on our website, or feel free to discuss with our friendly team on 0333 012 0002.
