When combined with behaviour change, the sensitive energy-efficiency retrofit of buildings is a critical step towards for lowering our carbon emissions in the fight against climate change.
BPT’s award winning 2011 Warmer Bath guidance for improving the energy efficiency of traditional homes in Bath contains practical advice for a range of measures for reducing energy loss, waste and use, and is still relevant despite being over ten years old.
Our Quick Wins Guidance for Low Carbon Living in Older Homes provides advice on making no cost and low-cost improvements to traditional homes.
BPT is publishing Energy Efficiency Retrofit Case Studies which illustrate the approach to undertaking energy efficiency improvements to all types of homes. We also record details of energy efficiency retrofit planning applications.
Our Making Changes guidance provides helpful advice for the owners and occupants of listed buildings.
If you live in an old house, you’ll appreciate that ‘a stitch in time saves nine’ and regular maintenance is critical for protecting a building and preventing further expensive repairs downstream. Our Listed Buildings Maintenance guidance offers useful hints and tips on looking after buildings and keeping them in good condition, helping them to function more energy efficiently.
The B&NES Council Energy Efficiency, Retrofitting, and Sustainable Construction Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) includes guidance on making retrofit changes to traditional buildings and within the historic environment, including examples of Bath-specific case studies. Some measures may require planning permission or listed building consent. If in doubt, get in contact with your local planning authority, or you can ask us for advice at conservation@bptrust.org.uk
When considering what to do and how to navigate the planning system, it can be helpful to look at similar planning applications and decisions for listed buildings and buildings and understand the information requirements required. Many of BPT’s responses to planning applications for works to improve energy efficiency can be found on our website from 2019 onwards.
Historic England also provide advice on retrofit in historic buildings in Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings. They also offer Practical Guidance to Energy Efficiency with an overview of different retrofit types and measures, and how changes can be planned and carried out. Know Your Home, Know Your Carbon is Historic England’s guidance for owner-occupiers of historic homes and how carbon emissions can be reduced in our pre-1919 homes.
