UPDATE

• Published in: Building Surveying Journal p. 34
• Main Author: Russell, Henry
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors 01.10.2016
• Subjects: Case studies; Energy efficiency; Historic buildings & sites
• ISSN: 1750-1032; 1759-3387

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) has carried out valuable research in this area, and its website's energy-efficiency page links to the relevant reports, including work by Dr Caroline Rye on in-situ U-values, which indicates that 77% of the traditionally built walls sampled including walls of timber, cob, limestone, slate and granite actually perform better than expected. * http://bit.ly/2bAoFau * The SPAB briefing note Energy efficiency in old buildings is available at: http://bit.ly/1TqdS1L Recently updated Historic England advice includes the suite of 13 Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings guidance documents on insulating pitched roofs at rafter level, timber-framed walls, insulating dormer windows, insulating solid and suspended ground floors, solid walls, thatched roofs, open fireplaces and secondary glazing; at: О http://bit.ly/1RQmFXc Historic Environment Scotland, formerly Historic Scotland, has conducted research into energy efficiency with Heriot-Watt University and provided advice notes on this, available at: О http://bit.ly/2bApOPi The Sustainable Traditional Building Alliance is also active in this field and has published Planning responsible retrofit of traditional buildings as part of its Responsible Retrofit series, in conjunction with Historic England, Historic Environment Scotland, Cadw and the Construction Industry Training Board: О http://bit.ly/1MU8uDw The site www.buildingconservation.com publishes many articles from its annual directories, and these are a good source of information on all conservation topics. The 2013 Building Conservation Directory for instance has an article on 'Sensible Heating: Balancing Energy Consumption, Comfort and Conservation' at: О http://bit.ly/1bPDMX4 A number of local authorities also provide guidance. Bath and North East Somerset Council's Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Guidance for Listed Buildings and Undesignated Historic Buildings provides useful guidance on the consents requirements, advice on making a good listed building consent application and helpful case studies. * http://bit.ly/2bEx92I The London Borough of Islington takes a similar approach by looking at legislative and conservation approaches, then providing advice and case studies. * http://bit.ly/2bw31TS Microgeneration Microgeneration technologies have been installed on a number of historic buildings and sites, commonly in the form of solar heat and power, and guidance from Historic England is available on the processes and application of these. * http://bit.ly/2aZsUyw * Advice on micro-renewables also available from Historic Environment Scotland http://bit.ly/2bLwTQK and Cadw http://bit.ly/2bEzLxu Heritage Update is compiled by Henry Russell OBE FRICS, School of Real Estate and Planning, University of Reading and Chair of the Heritage Alliance's Spatial Planning Advocacy Group h.j.g.russell@reading.ac.uk