Victorian House Retrofits, West Yorkshire
I carried out Retrofit Assessments in accordance with PAS 2035 for three Victorian houses, completing RdSAP surveys to determine their energy efficiency, as well as occupancy, ventilation and heritage significance assessments, and condition surveys. I used this information to model suitable energy efficiency improvements for the properties using vapour permeable insulation materials where appropriate. In all cases, the owners were keen to protect the heritage significance of their homes, despite them not being protected by a designation – they understood that this would be the best technical solution for their respective houses.
The back-to-back house in Bradford was particularly interesting as the ground floor interlocked with the basement level of the two houses behind. It is also relatively unusual to have a full three storeys. The forthcoming improvements to this house will see the EPC rating rise from 27F to a potential 61D, and there remains scope for further improvement in the future.
The stone mid-terrace in Shipley is located in the Saltaire World Heritage Site buffer zone so it was particularly important that the exterior of the property was not altered in a way that would harm the building or its setting. A cautious approach however, still resulted in recommendations for energy saving features that would move the property from a E46 EPC rating to a potential C69.
The semi-detached red brick house in Leeds occupied a prominent position and was in a street that was relatively well preserved in terms of historic character. This property had already had some energy efficiency improvement including replacement windows and solar panels so it had reached its capacity for change in terms of its external appearance, and the focus moved to interior innovations.