I’ve seen numerous renovations on Instagram. They look amazing in the ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots.
But then I saw a post recently: the most amazing and sensitive renovation of an old property with all the original features lovingly restored. An excellent job, EXCEPT that as winters approaches, we see posts about the challenge of heating the home. Heavy curtains to cover draughty windows, endless logs carried to the wood burner, thick jumpers to keep the cold out.
A perfect case of Renovators Regret if ever I saw one.
Don’t let that be you
You have the choice – you can:
- Start with the final look in mind, without thinking about how the house functions
- Start with the fabric so the house is future and winter proof, then focus on beauty
Working on the fabric of the building first will give you an energy efficient ‘under-structure’, making you warm and comfortable, while saving a load of money on your energy bills.
Elegant design can be added at a later stage if the budget it tight. I know that’s frustrating, but not nearly as frustrating as sitting in your superb lounge, with cold feet and a draught down your neck.
We retrofitted our Victorian (1901) end of terrace and now we’re saving 75% of our energy usage, cutting our electricity consumption from 25,500KwH a year to under 6,000KwH a year. And that includes charging our EV. So the cost savings are significant.
The value of our property is now £90K more than its non-retrofitted equivalent – an increase not to be sniffed at. By doing the energy efficient (retrofit) work during the renovation we only needed to spend an additional £23K. Making £90K from a £23K investment – seems like a no brainer to me!
To achieve energy efficiency you need to plan in:
Insulation – add to all external walls. It can be done internally or externally. 60mm to 100mm is optimal. Sounds like a lot if done internally, but it really is a very small amount of space.
There are many different options for insulation. Your choice is particularly important if your house was built before 1930 or has a suspended floor. Find out more here
Airtightness – cut out all the uncontrolled air that comes up through the floor, walls, roof, doors, windows. You do this by putting an airtightness membrane behind your insulation – like putting on a windproof jacket when you go out for a walk. It covers all the places where cold air can enter the house.
Learn more about airtightness here
Ventilation: having taken out all the uncontrolled air with your airtightness membrane, now you have to add controlled air back in, in order to avoid condensation and mould. You can do this by including trickle vents in your windows, putting extractor fans into kitchen and bathroom or installing heat recovery ventilation units.
If your airtightness has been done well, you will need more ventilation than trickle vents and extractors can provide, so look into heat recovery. This is more effective plus it saves the heat you have so lovingly created. Find out more here
Breathability: if your home was built before 1930 or has a suspended floor with air bricks at ground level, then it is a breathable system, which actually refers to the fact that it is vapour permeable.
It is vital you continue with vapour permeable materials or you’ll end up with interstitial condensation which causes damage to the structure over time.
Find out more here
Renewable heating: once the house is well insulated and airtight, then you can add in an air source or ground source heat pump. This perfect for an energy efficient system. Your provider applies for the government grant for you, so the cost is reduced by £7,500.
If you have a hot water tank already, you’ll have the space for the internal elements of the pump. If you presently have a condensing boiler, you will need to find some space in the house.
If you are very close to neighbours so regulations mean you can’t place the pump next to the house, you can put it in the garden. You just need to factor in extra piping and insulation of the piping.
Video to follow soon – so subscribe here my YouTube channel to be alerted when it goes up.
Renewable energy: as soon as finance allows, add solar panels. You need a roof that faces south, east or west, with south being optimal. Combine energy from the sun and your air/ground source heating and you’ll stay warm for free.
Panels can go on the roof of your house, even if you’re in a conservation area, or you can put them on a garden shed/office if the roof is strong enough. Some local authorities are bulk buying panels so they can be installed at a lower price, so take a look on their website.
Video to follow soon here
Retrofit isn’t sexy, but it saves you from Renovators Regret
Like Spanx under a little black dress, insulation and airtightness aren’t sexy. But like Spanx under a little black dress, they make the difference between an OK outcome and a stunning one.
And remember the benefits:
- Reduction in energy consumption – we’re saving 75% of our pre-retrofit consumption
- Increase in value of your property – £90K more in our case because of the retrofit
- Better metrics – EPC (energy performance certificate) – ours went from D to B
This is just a quick summary to give you the idea, For more detail of the overall process, read my book Beginners Guide to Eco Renovation It’s the book we needed and it gives you all the information you need to get going