Retrofitting existing homes
Global warming will not be addressed without attending to the buildings that house human beings. In the UK in 2017, 41% of our energy use was in our buildings, with 32% of that used in the heating of hot water and 12% for cooking, lighting and appliances.
Most of the buildings we have in the UK are old and inefficient. Furthermore 80% of the houses that are standing now will still be inhabited in 2050 with the houses we are building now, however low carbon, making up only 1/5 of our homes by the middle of the century.
We therefore need to make sure that these older buildings are fit for the future and the best way to do that is to retrofit (fit after a building is constructed) insulation and renewable energy technology. By insulating walls, roofs, floors and doors; and increasing airtightness, the energy use of houses can be reduced by over 60%. The energy which the building does need can be generated by roof top solar panels and hot water created through solar heating or air source heat pumps.
Your Task
To be able to sell this idea and the importance of retrofit you will need to understand the science and techniques behind it and do some research. We also provide some extra information to help you. Let’s start with some research.
Research
At the moment the UK has lots of old houses, the majority of which were built before insulation was routinely added when buildings were constructed, which became industry standard in the 1980s. They take a lot of energy to heat as much of it is lost through the walls and windows.
The least intrusive and cheapest retrofit method is extra roof insulation which is easy and cheap to install, followed by fitting double or triple glazed windows. The majority of the heat in a building however is lost through the walls so insulating these is important. The easiest way is to use Cavity wall insulation.
Most houses built post-1920 were constructed with double layered walls with a gap in the middle to stop damp getting through the walls. It is possible to drill small holes in the wall and blow in mineral wool or recycled paper insulation which fills the gap.
This however is not possible in older buildings or tower blocks (which have no gap or ‘cavity’) so solid wall insulation is needed on the inside or outside of the building. This involves removing the existing plaster or finish and gluing foam or wood fibre insulation boards to the walls and then re-covering in plaster and painting them so the walls look almost the same as before (or better). This stops heat escaping from the building and means that the amount of energy required to heat the homes is much less, reducing the environmental impact and also the cost of heating and powering the homes.
It is also important that the energy the buildings do use is renewable therefore, if possible, mounting solar panels on the roof or near the buildings alongside solar water heating can supply this and create buildings which are close to, or fully Zero-Carbon.
The main issue with retrofitting buildings is that it is expensive, and it takes a long time to pay back the initial cost through energy savings. There have however been some ingenious innovations where multiple buildings can be retrofitted with pre-made panels, with whole streets being able to be retrofitted in as little as 10 days and with a much smaller initial cost (see Energiesprong). The more houses that are retrofitted in one go, the cheaper the cost per household. To achieve the best results, we need a nationwide drive towards retrofitting homes.
Basic Research
Now you have some understanding of retrofitting buildings and why we need to do it, you will need some basic information about their role in solving climate change. Using the information provided work your way through the following questions. You might like to divide the research between you or work in pairs and bring it back to the whole group.
Research question: What do you think we need to do? Roof insulation, triple glazing or solar panels? Or a whole house retrofit? Or a whole street?
Research question: What methods? Can we decrease GHG emissions with low carbon homes?
Research question: Are there old houses already being retro fitted? Where else could we deploy this technology?
Information
Look up:
EnergieSprong: https://www.cibsejournal.com/case-studies/a-forward-leap-how-dutch-housing-process-energiesprong-guarantees-performance/
Enerphit: https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/enerphit/
Retrofit in Wales – see article and video: https://www.swansea.gov.uk/article/55583/Ageing-council-owned-bungalows-transformed-into-the-most-modern-homes-in-Swansea
Cavity Wall Insulation: https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/home-insulation/cavity-wall
Retro-fitting solar panels across Swansea: https://egni.coop/
Why is this so important?
Having done your research do you think building low carbon houses is important?
How will you sell this to the panel?
[Hint: fuel poverty has huge impacts on people – this is worth researching to support your arguments – see https://gov.wales/fuel-poverty-estimates-wales-headline-results-2018].
If you have time this video is a result of consultation with children in Wales on fuel poverty. http://www.childreninwales.org.uk/resource/keeping-warm-winter-hearing-voices-children-young-people-tackling-fuel-poverty-wales-film/ 9.44 minutes
Remember you need to consider the economical, social and environmental impacts of this solution – you will need to think out of the box and consider the possible impacts of implementing this solution.
Research question:
What will happen if we don’t have low carbon houses?
Brainstorm your ideas – be creative. You need persuasive arguments for your presentation.
Your Presentation
Now you have done your research and gathered your information you need to plan your presentation. Bear these questions in mind:
Why are low-carbon buildings important?
How could they contribute to solving climate change?
How could low carbon, energy creating buildings improve the lives of people and benefit the economy? (think about job creation as well)
NB Make sure you talk about Holistic Sustainability. That means stress how your project would be good for the environment, the economy and for social life.
Remember you have a maximum of 10 minutes for your presentation.
Be sure to use scientific facts to support your arguments.
Good luck!