Exemplar Retrofits, York

This exemplar retrofit project, funded by Innovate UK and facilitated by City of York Council, included two ‘hard-to-treat’ houses owned by the council, that would go on to have as many energy efficiency improvements as possible and suitable so that they could be used to demonstrate what can be done. The important thing about projects such as these is that the selected house types are found throughout York and so they have a wider relevance than just the two houses. The aim of the project is to encourage upgrades to similar houses. My role was to carry out retrofit assessments so that full information was available for determining appropriate improvements. 

The first property is a Victorian terraced house near the centre of York. It is a typical solid walled, slate roofed house with a rear offshoot. Although some improvements had been made over the years, it still had a poor EPC score.

The second property is a 1950’s council house with an unusual floor plan that interlocks with the neighbouring house.  This had already been stripped out, so there was little remaining plaster on the walls, and no sanitary or heating services. Again the property scored poorly in terms of the EPC.

The project is currently at installation stage. The Victorian property is having vapour-permeable insulation and an air-source heat pump and will be complete by March 2025. For more information about the project and the retrofit of these properties, see YorEnergy and the council’s website.