The various initiatives that have been, and continue to be developed and delivered to ensure a sustainable housing stock and adherence to the government’s targets for carbon reduction involve potentially complex technologies. However, optimisation of the potential benefits of these initiatives relies on the successful engagement of occupiers and tenants in order to ensure that the most appropriate measures are adopted and that they are exploited to best effect. This session considers how organisations can work to ensure user participation in design, together with effective evaluation of the performance of carbon reducing technologies and passive design features in use.