Comments on: 60% by 2050? Only if we address existing housing

By: martin chandler

martin chandler — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:55:37 +0000

I am at present renovating an old terraced house in Penarth S.Wales in conjunction with an architect to bring the house from G rating to B+ by introducing K17 phenolic foam backed plasterboard to the main fabric of the building, MHRV and solar panels etc .
We will be formulating a case study, with costings etc in order to present to LA and Welsh assembly.
If anyone is interested in receiving copies of the project notes please advise.

By: using new schemes to decarbonise existing buildings « carbon limited

using new schemes to decarbonise existing buildings « carbon limited — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:45:25 +0000

[...] new buildings are only a small part of the emissions problem (I’ve posted on this topic here and here). The argument goes that we must address existing stock in order to get anywhere near our [...]

By: local authorities must lead the way to low carbon « carbon limited

local authorities must lead the way to low carbon « carbon limited — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:18:47 +0000

[...] on the power of planners – and, by extension, on new developments. But it’s very clear that new developments are a small part of the problem. If we’re going to meet our carbon reduction targets, we urgently need to address existing [...]

By: Rob

Rob — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:38:37 +0000

Nice graph. Saw a similar approach at Ecobuild recently:

http://no2self.net/2008/03/18/ecobuild-2008-notes/

By: Casey

Casey — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:59:50 +0000

J -
I agree that efficiency has to improve and also agree that for hard-to-treat housing stock, you can only go so far. It’s for exactly this reason that we have to supply the remaining demand from the low carbon sources and heat networks are likely to be the most cost effective way of doing this on the large scale.

By: Jason Hawkes

Jason Hawkes — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:37:31 +0000

There are several other issues to consider as well. Heat networks will only get you so far if you live in a single glazed, solid-walled house. Here, in a conservation area, it would be impossible to externally insulate, double-glaze or install Solar thermal and a lot of the old houses suffer the same problem independent of the area.
There is also no money in this for specifiers etc. We do a few old houses and its impossible to charge a householder a decent rate for all the drawing and research required to give them an efficient, healthy home. then you have to fight with builders………
I think schemes like the Green Concierge need a massive expansion, along with a construction skills drive, a rethink in Local Planning departments and large subsidies so householders and landlords are aided ( and compelled) to act and people like us can charge a fair rate for our work. Then you can plug in techy stuff and we might get somewhere