Retrofit Resources
Welcome to the
Building Retrofit Information Hub for homeowners
An initiative from HGN to bring together people, information and professional expertise to help with the challenge of making homes (and workplaces) comfortable year-round in the face of high heating bills and the need to cut carbon emissions.
We’re going to be expanding this section but are starting small, with links below to what we reckon are very good sources of information. (Last update February 22nd 2021)
IMPORTANT If you are struggling to keep your home warm and deal with the costs, the advice team at Keep Herefordshire Warm can help – Get help here
Embarking on retrofit:
a whole house approach
Done right, this can make big improvements to comfort levels and can reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions by 60-80%. It’s a large financial commitment and can be a disruptive process, but can be done successfully in stages. We strongly recommend that anyone planning a retrofit should start with a Whole House Plan.
Read more: https://cat.org.uk/info-resources/free-information-service/eco renovation/eco-retrofit/
Example of a whole house plan (from Carbon Co-op): https://cc-sitemedia.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2020/07/MyHomeEnergyPlanner_S mple_Report.pdf
Another useful explainer: https://retrobook.co.uk/what-does-whole-house-retrofit-mean-to-me/
Insulating walls (from Bristol but it applies here): https://sdfoundation.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2018/01/2015_bristolsolidwallinsulationguidance.pdf
More useful links
Websites with a broad range of information on Building Retrofit
https://www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk/ The Simple Energy Advice website has information on easy energy saving, retrofit measures, and heating – plus a guide for people in rented accommodation. Includes information on funding
https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/ The Energy Saving Trust has reliable, regularly updated information for householders and businesses. Includes information on funding.
https://carbon.coop/carbon-co-op-webinar-programme/ Carbon Co-op have a series of free webinars on all areas of their work – including retrofit, energy systems and much more.
https://www.cse.org.uk The Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE) are an independent national charity that shares their knowledge and experience to help people change the way they think and act on energy. Head to their resources section for lots of information on a range of topics and in various formats.
https://www.theheatinghub.co.uk The Heating Hub provide expert, impartial advice on heating systems to help you save money and carbon through your heating.
https://superhomes.org.uk Superhomes is a network for sharing best practice in domestic energy reduction and home comfort.
Intro to Retrofitting your home webinars at an introductory level:
How do we make our homes Zero Carbon Ready ?
Home Health Check (link to be updated)
An Introduction to Home Energy Systems
Building Airtightness Webinar with Diane Hubbard
Check how your home/building performs in terms of energy and carbon emissions
Winterproofing - simple fixes
Keep warm for less this winter. See guides from:
- The Big Issue: 8 DIY tips to keep your home warm for less
- Keep Herefordshire Warm: Energy 101 tips for an energy efficient lifestyle
You can lose up to 20% of your heat just through draughts. See these guides from:
Magnetic-strip secondary glazing is a cost-effective and unobtrusive measure for reducing fuel costs and improving comfort and warmth. See video installation guide from:
Save money on your gas bills by lowering the flow on your boiler
Turn OFF the pre-heat on your Worcester combi boiler to save 5-10%
Explore a bit further:
Introductory Level of Information to Retrofit
Retrofit in a nutshell from the experts at the Centre for Alternative Technology https://cat.org.uk/ask-expert-eco-refurbishments/
Retrofit case-studies from Cosyhomes Oxfordshire https://cosyhomesoxfordshire.org/blog/case-studies/
Before and after – energy and carbon measurements from the Low Energy Buildings database https://www.lowenergybuildings.org.uk/projectbrowser.php
Medium / Implementation Level of Building Retrofit
Many of these links are to the website of Manchester’s Carbon Co-op. Follow the links we’ve identified or have a browse yourself.
The Fundamentals of Deep Retrofit with Nick Parsons
Retrofit: Replacement windows and doors with Diane Hubbard
Info Night: Construction Contracts – sign on the dotted line? with Sarah Fox
More Detailed level of information and case studies
- Deep retrofit principles and case studies webinar with Liam Schofield
- Heat Pumps for Beginners- Session 1 with Andy Hamilton and Florence Collier
- Heat Pumps for Beginners – Session 2 with Trystan Lea and Florence Collier
- Heat Pumps for Beginners – Session 3 with Florence Collier and Andy Hamilton
- Heat Pumps for Beginners – Session 4 with Liam Schofield and Florence Collier
- Heat Pumps for Beginners- Session 5 with Florence Collier and Andy Hamilton
- Retrofitting Domestic Heat Pumps – methods and lessons from Ireland
See some retrofit schemes in other areas
Getting help
Click here to to get advice on funding and how to start your retrofit project.
find a professional:
Marches based Architects, Energy Assessors, Builders, Equipment installers
‘The inclusion of a company or individual on this website does not represent an endorsement of this business or the quality of its work. We have taken steps to ensure participating businesses are genuine and competent, but as with any transaction it is your responsibility to satisfy yourself that the business is able to provide the services being offered. ‘
(We would recommend asking the businesses for local project details that can be used for reference)
Please note this list is at a very early stage and will be added to – further suggestions for inclusion can be sent to us at HGN.
Architects
AECB group
Tom Mason , Circle Architecture
Energy Assessors
BEEP – Energy assessment and funding for Businesses
Claus Best, retrofit co-ordinator, Smart Energy Services
Jacinta Walton, part of Idea-ingham
Builders – with experience in good Insulation methods
Dai Rees- Passive House Builder
More to follow
Equipment Installers (renewable Energy, Air Source Heat Pumps etc)
Pro-fit Energy: Solar PV & thermal, ASHP, GSHP, Biomass
Couldn’t find what you wanted? Please let us know what you need via our contact page https://hgnetwork.org/contact-hgn/ with subject line ATTN BUILDING SENSE. Thank you!
topic based resources:
heating (and cooling!)
- Save up to 8% on your gas bills, by turning down the ‘flow’ temperature
Running the boiler at a lower ‘flow’ temperature can save around 6-8% on your fuel bills, Jo explains why and how to do it.
Article | Jo Alsop | The Heating Hub | https://www.theheatinghub.co.uk/articles/turn-down-the-boiler-flow-temperature - Boiler Tweaks To Tackle The Cost Of Living Crisis. AKA Lower the flow temperature on a combi boiler
Simple tricks that will help your condensing combi boiler run more efficiently and save around 6-8% on your gas bills. Lots of people have reported saving over 10% and up to 16%! 15 million UK homes with a condensing combi boiler can benefit from this advice. In this video, we help you understand what heating temperature your combi boiler should be set at, if you have the right type of boiler and show you how to do it simply and safely yourself.
Video | The Heating Hub | https://youtu.be/T022zY9I__0
- How to turn OFF the pre-heat on your Worcester combi boiler to save 5-10%
Bespoke instructions for turning off the pre-heat on any Worcester combi boiler to save 5-10% on your gas bill.
Article | Jo Alsop | The Heating Hub | https://www.theheatinghub.co.uk/articles/Worcester-hot-water-preheat
Heat Pumps
Heat pumps are one of the forms of low carbon heating that are critical to the UK’s transition to net zero. They use electricity – so can be powered by renewables – and are over three times more efficient than gas boilers.
- Everything you need to know about heat pumps
When it comes to low-carbon heating, it seems everyone is talking about heat pumps. But what is a heat pump? How do they work? And could you heat your home with a heat pump?
Article | CSE | www.cse.org.uk/advice/heat-pumps - Increased grant funding for heat pumpsFrom the 23rd October heat pumps will receive increased grant funding of up to £7,500
Article | Gov.uk | www.gov.uk/apply-boiler-upgrade-scheme/what-you-can-get - Why you should measure heat loss before choosing a heat pump
An EPC rating doesn’t tell you everything. To know exactly how energy efficient a house is, you need to delve a little deeper. Measuring your home heat loss will help you understand if a heat pump can work in your home. A home heat loss survey will also give you useful information about what to prioritise to improve your home energy efficiency.
Article | CSE | www.cse.org.uk/news/why-measuring-home-heat-loss-is-important-before-choosing-a-heat-pump - Is fabric first the best approach for heat pump installation?
Concerned that a heat pump won’t work for you because you don’t have the right type of house? You may need to do less fabric upgrades than you thought.
Video | The Green Register | www.greenregister.org.uk/twilight-talks/twilight-talk-april-recording-and-slides - Is a heat pump suitable for a listed building?
A good way of finding out is by doing heat loss surveys. People often assume that heat pumps won’t work in older homes, but that’s not always the case. David’s listed home was built in 1790. You might be surprised by the results.
Article | CSE | www.cse.org.uk/news/is-a-heat-pump-suitable-for-a-listed-building - One year on: Living with an air source heat pump (and solar PV)
Find out first hand what it’s like to live with a heat pump home with energy professional Dave Green. Here he talks about heating his 1930’s semi in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.
Webinar | Building Sense | www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcrFL3aekNM
Insulation
Coming soon!
Airtightness and ventilation
Coming soon!
Windows and doors
Coming soon!
temporary/ low budget measures
Coming soon!
minimising water use
Coming soon!
topic based resources:
heating (and cooling!)
- Save up to 8% on your gas bills, by turning down the ‘flow’ temperature
Running the boiler at a lower ‘flow’ temperature can save around 6-8% on your fuel bills, Jo explains why and how to do it.
Article | Jo Alsop | The Heating Hub | https://www.theheatinghub.co.uk/articles/turn-down-the-boiler-flow-temperature - Boiler Tweaks To Tackle The Cost Of Living Crisis. AKA Lower the flow temperature on a combi boiler
Simple tricks that will help your condensing combi boiler run more efficiently and save around 6-8% on your gas bills. Lots of people have reported saving over 10% and up to 16%! 15 million UK homes with a condensing combi boiler can benefit from this advice. In this video, we help you understand what heating temperature your combi boiler should be set at, if you have the right type of boiler and show you how to do it simply and safely yourself.
Video | The Heating Hub | https://youtu.be/T022zY9I__0
- How to turn OFF the pre-heat on your Worcester combi boiler to save 5-10%
Bespoke instructions for turning off the pre-heat on any Worcester combi boiler to save 5-10% on your gas bill.
Article | Jo Alsop | The Heating Hub | https://www.theheatinghub.co.uk/articles/Worcester-hot-water-preheat
Insulation
Coming soon!
Airtightness and ventilation
Coming soon!
Windows and doors
Coming soon!
temporary/ low budget measures
Coming soon!
minimising water use
Coming soon!
