Further Resources

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Historic England provides a useful place to start when considering retrofit, with a wealth of advice on retrofit in historic buildings:

💡 Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings – formative overview of retrofit of historic and traditional buildings.

💡 Practical Guidance to Energy Efficiency – an overview of different retrofit types and measures

💡 Know Your Home, Know Your Carbon – guidance for owner-occupiers of pre-1919 traditional homes.

💡 Filling in the Retrofits Gap – further information about the energy performance of traditional buildings.

The National Trust has forecast areas of increasing temperature and extreme weather conditions on its Climate Hazard Map, to which historic buildings need to adapt.

Forecast Changeable documents the National Trust’s approach to the Climate Crisis, and the future of the UK’s material heritage.

Historic England has issued its Joint Heritage Sector Statement on Climate Change, with commitment to the role of historic buildings in tackling carbon emissions.

Historic England has now published The Climate Change Special Edition, Issue 19 as an overview of the works being done to research and tackle the climate emergency.

Future of Our Pasts: Engaging Cultural Heritage in Climate Action is a report released by ICOMOS to tackle climate change within the historic environment globally. This provides a helpful overview as to the international historic context to which the Bath World Heritage site contributes.

Historic Environment Scotland’s A Guide to Climate Change Impacts was also produced to provide information about how the Climate Crisis will continue to affect our historic environment, and how we can mitigate environmental pressures on our traditional buildings.

For COP26, a Virtual Pavilion was created compiling international projects addressing the climate crisis, including retrofit.

The Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) provides an introduction to Low-Carbon Retrofitting and the retrofitting process.

From Green Spec, Housing Retrofit: Developing a Strategy outlines the basics of the priorities of retrofitting measures, the limitations of historic buildings, and relevant planning restrictions.

Historic England published There’s No Place Like Old Homes in 2019 regarding the potential contribution of historic buildings to the UK’s 2050 net zero carbon targets.

The Climate Coalition’s Home Truths covers the ongoing impact of climate change on the UK’s buildings and what residents can do to decarbonise their homes.

The Architect Journal’s Retrofirst campaign highlights the need to prioritise retrofit over demolition and rebuild.

The Sustainable Traditional Building Association (STBA) offers specific guidance on particular retrofit measures in its Knowledge Centre.

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) provides a growing resource for common problems and maintenance in historic buildings in its Knowledge Base.

Historic England provides useful guidance on Modifying Historic Windows as Part of Retrofitting Energy-Saving Measures.

In 2010, City of Edinburgh Council trialled the performance and appearance of different types of double glazing in Georgian sash and casement windows; the results are available in the published Technical Paper.

Bristol City Council commissioned A Bristolian’s Guide to Solid Wall Insulation in 2015 to promote appropriate energy efficiency improvements across the city, and focuses on the prevalent historic building type in the area.

The Sustainable Traditional Building Association (STBA) offers specific guidance on particular retrofit measures in its Knowledge Centre.

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) provides a growing resource for common problems and maintenance in historic buildings in its Knowledge Base.

Historic England’s Generating Energy in Older Houses provides guidance on types of microrenewables and installation in traditional homes.

CPRE’s Get Generating provides a starting-point for rural communities and local councils looking into community-based renewable energy projects.

Energy: Grow Your Own includes the National Trust’s approach to more sustainable energy options, including case studies from their own estate.

Energy at Home is a B&NES Council-run website offering guidance and examples of energy-saving measures in homes within the Bath and North-East Somerset area. Grants and loans are also highlighted to help cover retrofitting costs.

Transition Bath identifies renewable energy opportunities within the south west on its Energy Group Projects page, as well as offering advice to homeowners about retrofits.

Energy Service Bristol offers advice and initiatives on energy retrofits for businesses and residents.

Futureproof Energy Saving Measures offers free guidance for homeowners in the south-west investigating possible retrofit options within the home.

Renewable and Low Carbon Energy in Buildings is the Welsh Government’s definitive guidance for the production and use of green energy.

Historic Environment Scotland’s Microrenewables in the Historic Environment offers more specific guidance about the installation of different types of microrenewables, such as solar panels, heat pumps, and biomass boilers.

The National Trust’s Energy page has a wealth of resources about ongoing sustainability projects across their estates.

Historic England offers specific guidance for the installation of Solar Electric (Photovoltaics).

CPRE Solar Design Tips offers advice on the sensitive integration of solar panels into a distinctive local, historic environment. Further guidance includes Ensuring Place-Responsive Design for Solar Photovoltaics on Buildings to enable the best compromise between energy-efficiency and vernacular character.

National Energy Action (NEA) offers guidance on fitting and maintaining Solar PV Panels for a cheaper, warmer home.

Historic England’s Making Changes to Save Energy offers practical advice on how to make small, cost-effective alterations to improve a building’s energy efficiency.

Find out more about B&NES LED Streetlight Upgrade, and trialled LED lighting in historic settings such as Sydney Buildings by Zeta Specialist Lighting.

The International Passive House Association has a series of Book Recommendations for passive house construction and retrofit.

STBA Guidance Wheel is a free, interactive tool to best enable a whole-house approach when considering possible retrofitting measures.

The London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) has published its Climate Emergency Retrofit Guide on how to adapt homes to meet UK climate targets. They have further released an Embodied Carbon Primer for considering low-carbon solutions in construction and building materials.

Responsible Retrofit of Traditional Buildings is STBA’s definitive report on existing guidance and research with recommendations for retrofits that follow the ‘whole house’ approach.

Interactive House offers interactive guidance on planning regulations and restrictions on certain types of retrofit, with options for different housing types.https://www.futureproof.uk.net/im-a-homeowner/

Futureproof can offer step-by-step guidance through the retrofit process in deciding what interventions are best for you and your home.

Research into Future Summertime Overheating Risk in Historic Buildings is ongoing in four Historic England offices across the country to assess how buildings can be kept cool in increasingly hot summers, as well as warmer in the winter.

How to Save Money on your Energy Bills guidance from the Energy Saving Trust.

How to Save Money on your Energy Bills guidance from Citizens Advice.

Advice on reducing energy bills and making your home warmer from the Centre for Sustainable Energy.

All of Historic England’s guidance on energy efficiency and traditional homes is available here.

The Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) has created guidance tailored to historic properties including The Sustainable Use of Energy in Traditional Dwellings published in conjunction with Historic England, and Love Your Old Home.

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) outlines formative guidance for the collaboration of building conservation and adaptation in Energy Efficiency in Old Buildings.

ICOMOS’ Sustainable Development Goals: Policy Guidance for Heritage and Development Actors illustrates the many ways in which heritage can address Sustainable Development Goals, and demonstrates the potential of harnessing heritage in achieving sustainable development.

Grosvenor’s Heritage & Carbon highlights the role of heritage in reducing carbon emissions and creating a more sustainable built environment.

SPAB’s Old House Eco Handbook provides an overview of retrofitting in different historic house types.

IHBC’s Retrofitting of Traditional Buildings Guidance Note offers up-to-date guidance on holistic retrofitting measures, as well as recommendations for appropriate maintenance and repair to ensure a building is performing well.

Heritage Energy Efficiency Tool is an online tool produced by Oxford City Council to assess individual energy efficiency improvements for historic buildings.

Improving Energy Efficiency in Traditional Buildings is Historic Environment Scotland’s formative guidance on the retrofit of listed and unlisted historic buildings and provides useful information about the treatment of historic fabric. See also Fabric Improvements for Energy Efficiency.

Green Open Homes was originally set up by CSE in 2013 in partnership with Bristol Green Doors, aiming to support low-carbon open homes events across the country. Case studies include previous events in Bristol and Frome.

Heritage Responds has collated a series of Case Studies looking at UK-wide action to address the impact of climate change on heritage.

Building Conservation have looked at a series of case studies and the possible risk of certain retrofit interventions in historic buildings in Retrofit in Heritage Buildings: Understanding the Risks.

The Heritage Retrofit Special Report from the Building Conservation Directory has compiled examples of retrofit and energy efficiency schemes across the UK.

Historic England has compiled a series of Case Studies from across the UK as examples of good practice.

No. 1 Royal Crescent

The Herschel Museum

The Museum of Bath Architecture

Beckford’s Tower

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