The mood music for retrofit, and in particular solid wall insulation, has not been good of late. Issues have flared up with some installations not performing, sometimes even causing additional problems. The Government’s chief construction adviser was commissioned to report for industry. Peter Bonfield is investigating issues of consumer protection.
| Refurbishment of the Wilmcote House building with external wall insulation works in progress |
But the refurbishment and super-insulation of three 11-storey social housing blocks at Wilmcote House in Portsmouth is demonstrating what can be done with a thought-through approach – and preliminary findings from resident research carried out by the LSE as part of the project are promising. And they also serve to demonstrate the urgent need to address fuel poverty, energy leakage and tenant health. Crucially, they also highlight how important the positive community engagement practised by Portsmouth City Council on the project is.
The ‘whole house’ refurbishment of the 107 maisonettes built in 1968 will dramatically improve residents’ standard of living, increase comfort levels and reduce fuel costs. The project involves the deep retrofit and installation of multiple insulation measures, including external wall insulation. The architects are pushing for the rigorous EnerPHit standard, the retrofit equivalent of Passivhaus. Completion is expected in January 2017.
Preliminary LSE findings from a sample, of 15 interviewees show that:
- 66% think the temperature in their home is not enough to be comfortable, citing issues with damp, mould, condensation, inefficient and expensive heating and cold draughts.
- 66% are suffering from, or have a family member affected by health problems which worsen in cold and damp conditions.
- 53% are affected by fuel poverty with 87% falling within the lower end of income distribution (less than £20,000 per annum).
- The community engagement strategy has been well received. 66% feel they have been informed well on progress so far, while 80% believe their views have been taken on board. 73% agree that they are engaged with the project and understand the benefits that they can expect from the renovation.
The level of ambition for the project is impressive. The target is to lower the demand for heating by 90%. The work is also expected to extend the building’s life by a minimum of 30 years. There is a clamour to build at the moment – but that should not mean a clamour to demolish. The accounts for embodied carbon of even the greenest of eco homes will struggle to break even within a lifetime if they are mere replacements for that built 30 years before. Done well, retrofit not only means warmer, healthier homes that are cheaper to run and nicer to live in – it also means far fewer emissions to begin with.
A video of the early research findings is here this is based on an interview with Professor Anne Power at LSE Housing and Communities who is leading the research project.