Driving delivery defines BE-ST Fest 2026, and in the East of Scotland, this is driven through the lens of retrofit.

Now in its fourth year, the International Retrofit Conference has established itself as a leading platform for industry leaders, community organisations, policymakers, and innovators to tackle one of the most pressing challenges of our time: retrofiting our existing buildings.

The ambition is clear: reduce energy demand, enhance building performance, decarbonise heating systems, and reimagine how we can use and reuse buildings, so that people can live in more comfortable, more affordable homes.

While the challenge is complex, momentum is growing across the sector. New approaches to funding, policy, skills development and delivery are helping to unlock progress, while collaboration across industry continues to build confidence and capability at scale.

The International Retrofit Conference will focus on what is currently happening and how we can do more. It asks not whether we need to retrofit, but how we do it, at scale, at speed, and in a way that is affordable and accessible. By aligning policy, finance and delivery, retrofit can become a cornerstone of net-zero progress.

Date: 2nd September 2026

Location: Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh