Welcome
Arguably 2015 was The year that was… then wasn’t in retrofit. Government switched into reverse gear on a substantial list of green policies [1]. However, SuperHomes bucked the trend. Visits to our September Open Days were up by 40% at 3243 visits, helped by promotional support from partners and the news of our events being retweeted over 100 times! [2] [3]. And we carried out a major piece of research which resulted in another 40% improvement – it turns out that a SuperHome on average uses 40% less energy per metre square than the average UK home!
Research finds that SuperHomes use 40% less energy
Whilst low-carbon and low-energy don’t necessarily go hand in hand, our latest report confirms that SuperHomes excel in both respects.
The research shows that an average SuperHome:
- Is over 40% more energy-efficient than the average UK home in its energy use per square metre per year.
- Consumes about 19% less total energy than the average UK home each year, despite having a larger than average floor area and a higher than average occupancy, and being older than an average residential building.
The most energy-efficient SuperHome in the survey was found to use just 25kWh/m2/yr, an impressive 86% less than the national average!
Seeking partners to be part of a retrofit growth story
During 2015, 37 grant-supported Green Open Homes groups hosted events featuring 457 homes. 10,000 people visited and 65% of these said they’d look to install low carbon products in their own homes.
SuperHomes Patron, John Doggart, argues that if we can inspire not just 10,000 but 1 million ‘early adopters’ to take action, the rest will follow [1]. This won’t happen with Open Home events alone, but through a mix of virtual and physical visits. 800,000 people visited the SuperHomes and YouGen websites in 2015 so this is not impossible.
However, if the government is to hit its target 80% drop in CO2 emissions by 2050, it is going to require a collective effort! Philanthropists, grant givers and potential commercial partners please note… SuperHomes can provide the inspiration but needs funds to do so. See how you can donate here, or email us if you represent a company or funder that may be able to help.
Energy Envoys help community hot spots to go green
Young people are crucial to our energy future – not only in the buildings around them today, but as the energy buyers, users and decision-makers of tomorrow. Will they propel us to a cleaner energy future? Energy Envoys may just make it so. This nationwide Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) volunteering opportunity, new for 2016, enables young people to help their community to use energy more wisely, save money and reduce carbon emissions.
Through their volunteering, participants could conduct an energy audit, organise an energy awareness campaign or run an energy saving competition. There are step-by-step guides for all sorts of projects which can be carried out in, for example, a local school, college, church, business, shop or venue. Online support includes a tutorial and one-to-one email support from energy experts at the National Energy Foundation.
Do you know someone aged 14-24 years ready to go for Bronze, Silver or Gold? If so, this certainly promises to be one of the more flexible, CV-enhancing, DofE volunteering options available.
For more information, visit www.energyenvoys.org.uk
Videos of the month
Loss of storage is often a reason people don’t top up their loft insulation to the recommended depth of 270mm. Mark Brown of SuperHome59 topped up his loft with sheep’s wool insulation before boarding over it to provide a large storage space [1] . In this video he provides a very helpful step by step DIY guide covering his method, fixings and the results.
If you want the storage with less of the DIY, another SuperHomer has designed an innovative solution. Dave Raval of SuperHome156 is the entrepreneur behind LoftZone, a strong and flexible platform that won’t squash your insulation and render it less effective [2].
SuperHomer Jill Goulder has been using magnetic strip secondary glazing on her sash windows since the 1990s. It is a cheap, simple and effective solution that isn’t widely advertised. Materials for a larger sash window might cost as little as £100 and these can be bought from a local supplier and DIY installed.
Reports, tools and guidance
The Retrofit Pattern Book
Wouldn’t it be great if more tried and tested retrofit techniques were visible and others could learn from them and perhaps improve on them in an open dialogue, a bit like an open source project? The Retrofit Pattern Book is an online guide allows designers and manufacturers to show their best practice details to others. The site already has over 60 diagrams helping illustrate the detailing of external wall insulation where it meets roof, footings, corners, doors, and steps in brickwork etc. This very practical idea is Red Co-operative initiative spearheaded by SuperHomer Charlie Baker and supported by the University of Salford [1].
Solid wall insulation: Unlocking demand and driving up standards
The review of solid wall insulation by Peter Hansford came out in Nov 2015, with one of the key recommendations being the need to assign a qualified Retrofit Coordinator to every solid wall insulation installation, to ensure the suitability and quality of the installation.
Energy Efficiency: An infrastructure priority
This Sep 2015 report suggested that making energy efficient homes a national infrastructure priority could provide over 100,000 jobs and boost Britain’s energy security. Read the summary on YouGen [2].
How energy efficiency impacts a home’s price and salability
SellingUp’s recent survey reveals that more than a third of respondents (36%) would cut thousands of pounds from their offer price in response to a poor energy efficiency rating.
On the YouGen Blog
Some interesting questions answered on the YouGen blog:
[1] Can a green roof and solar PV system work well together?
[2] Is there an eco-friendly alternative to concrete?
[3] How can a conservatory cut your energy costs? Questions to ask before getting one.
[4] Ventilation – Why does my home need it, passive or mechanical, and why heat recovery helps
[5] Wood burning stoves – Is it for you? What type and size, what fuel, cost and savings?
[6] Biomass boiler – Can you source or supply your own wood fuel and keep your RHI payments?
Training opportunities & Events
There is a wide range of training available in retrofit, renewables, Passivhaus and energy assessment. For details of what’s available, see The Retrofit Academy, Parity Projects , AECB, LILI, The Green Register, SPAB, CAT, BRE, STBA and NES.
The Retrofit Academy courses
The following courses are taking place in London:
Introduction to Domestic Retrofit. Tue 3 May.
Assessing Dwellings for Retrofit. Tue 10 May.
The Business Case for Retrofit. Tue 17 May.
Retrofit Building Fabric and Solid Wall Insulation. Thu 26 May.
Building Services Retrofit. Wed 1 June.
Ventilation and Air Tightness for Retrofit. Wed 8 June.
Retrofit Building Physics. Thu 9 June.
Retrofit Coordination and Risk Management. Wed 29 June.
Events
Ecobuild returns from 8-10 Mar 2016 [1] offering plenty of free seminars.
Smart Energy Marketplace on 17 March caters for those interested in electric vehicles, storage or generating your own heat [2]
edie Live (formerly Sustainability Live) is back from 17-18 May 2016 and features a session on day 2 called ‘Energy Efficiency – the past, present and future’, presented by NEF’s Ian Byrne. [3]
Suggestions Box
We hope you find these news updates helpful. Please email us any ideas for other things you’d like to see included. And do help us spread the good news – simply tweet or ‘Like’ this page…
John, Gordon, Camille, Gabby
& current volunteer Joanne.