Retrofit
The retrofitting of the existing housing stock is essential if there is to be a significant reduction in the CO2 emissions. With a forecasted 65-70% the housing stock of 2050 already built now, there is a need to not only improve the sustainability of new builds, but to have a real impact, to improve the performance of existing houses. This will save the householder money improve the long term value of the property.
There are different ways that this can be done, most simply by improving the insulation of a property, installing more energy efficient appliances and boilers and improving water consumption.
Drum Housing Association - Petersfield, Hampshire - various schemes
The Association won the 2007 Housing Corporation Gold Award for its innovative approach to minimising its carbon footprint through the development and delivery of its strategy ‘Sustainable Action for Communities and the Environment'. A very informative web-site documents a wide range of initiatives including
- Siward House, Petersfield - Siward House is a sheltered housing scheme close to the town centre. It holds 34 apartments, providing accommodation for the over 55's. In February 2007, a solar photovoltaic (PV) panel was installed in order to supply free electricity to all the communal areas of the scheme.
- Generation Homes Programme, Woodfields Kinglsey - the retrofit of 6 homes in partnership with Energy Saving for Sustainable Development and the Energy Saving Trust. This met the Generation Homes bench mark of reducing emissions by 60%, achieved through GSHP, PV, and heat recovery from waste water.
Sustainable Development Commission
This organisation is the Government's independent watchdog on sustainable development.
http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/pages/existing_homes.html
Building Research Establishment
The BRE Group is a world leading research, consultancy, training, testing, and certification organisation delivering sustainability and innovation in the built environment.
http://www.bre.co.uk
Rethinking the refurbishment of Victorian Housing - T Zero - is a major BRE project which runs from September 2007 to September 2009. Outputs from this project will include a Best Practice Guide to Green Refurbishment.
http://www.rethinkinghousingrefurbishment.co.uk/
This project builds on an earlier project which includes interesting detailed case studies including the refurbishment of terraced housing in the Nelson Housing Market Regeneration Scheme, the Flagship Home Project, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and the Nottingham Ecohome.
Tim Yates (2006) Sustainable refurbishment of Victorian housing: guidance, assessment method and case studies BRE Press.
http://www.brebookshop.com/details.jsp?id=224138
The project is working to find practical answers to a range of key questions. How do homeowners, tenants, housing managers, landlords and builders decide what needs to be done and how it should be achieved? What are the costs, the paybacks, the technical constraints? How should they weigh up the environmental impacts of materials, water and energy use?
T-Zero is a 3-year project funded by the government programme Meeting the Challenge of Zero Emission Enterprise. Through consultations, reviews and case studies it will identify criteria and develop decision-making tools for implementing low emission housing refurbishment in the public and private sectors.
BRE's partners in the TZero project include architects, engineers, housing associations, developers, energy charities and government agencies.
The project is looking for case studies in lower emission housing refurbishment and will produce a flow of information on emerging good practice through its web-site newsletter.
http://www.bre.co.uk/page.jsp?id=825
http://www.bre.co.uk/filelibrary/projects/tzero/T-Zero_Newsletter_Nov_2007.pdf
http://www.bre.co.uk/page.jsp?id=985
Energy Savings Trust
The Energy Saving Trust is a non-profit organisation, funded both by government and the private sector. Its aim is to cut emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by promoting the sustainable and efficient use of energy. The organisation provides free and impartial information and advice and has a network of advice centres in the UK specifically designed to help people take action.
This is the most useful site for information on low carbon housing, providing ‘state of the art' guidance on energy efficiency good practice in new build, extensions, conversions and refurbishment.
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
Refurbishing dwellings - a summary of best practice. 2006 edition CE 189
Provides information on best practice standards for typical dwellings, by reference to main construction elements and building services
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/uploads/documents/housingbuildings/CE189%
Energy efficient refurbishment of existing dwellings. November 2007 edition CE 83
This guide provides examples and specifications for both full refurbishment and works on individual elements.
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/uploads/documents/housingbuildings/CE83.GPG155
Practical refurbishment of solid walled houses March 2006 CE 184
This guide has sections relating to specific construction elements: floor, walls, windows and doors; draught stripping, and the roof. Each section deals with best practice specification and key technical and installation issues.
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/uploads/documents/housingbuildings/CE18
Summerfield Eco-neighbourhood, Birmingham
Building on the success of a pilot eco-home, Family Housing Association will complete a programme of installing solar panels and other measures (including insulation and energy efficient lighting) in 300 Victorian houses in this low income neighbourhood. http://www.family-housing.co.uk/Eco+Projects/ provides basic information and contacts
http://www.family-housing.co.uk/Community_Regeneration/ links to a video
Nottingham EcoHome
This project improved insulation and air tightness and applied a hybrid solar thermal and bio-mass system to a semi-detached Victorian house.
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/uploads/documents/housingbuildings/ links to an EST Guide which gives several case studies of the integrate approach to energy savings in existing housing.
A more extensive account is provided in Tim Yates (2006) Sustainable refurbishment of Victorian housing: guidance, assessment method and case studies
