Retrofit and Energy Efficiency in Historic Buildings

While Building Regulations set requirements for new buildings, meaning they are designed to meet a strict set of energy performance criteria, the vast majority of existing homes within the UK were built when efficiency targets were less stringent or non-existent. The climate crisis, combined with increasing energy costs, means the majority of the UK’s existing housing stock will need to be retrofitted by Architects and construction professionals to ensure they are better insulated, use less energy and have a reduced reliance on fossil fuels.

While this is a relatively straightforward - albeit potentially costly and time consuming - task on a large proportion of newer homes within the UK, extra care needs to be taken to sensitively upgrade heritage buildings to ensure their historic value is retained.

Many houses in Cambridge and the surrounding towns and villages are heritage assets, including many designated as Grade Listed buildings. The retention of architectural quality within Grade I, Grade II and Grade II* Listed buildings can be particularly challenging when considering environmental upgrades, but it can still be possible to improve their thermal efficiency, reduce draughts and install low-carbon energy sources if proposals are well planned and considerate of any heritage impacts.

Architectural and sustainable interventions are best undertaken as part of a holistic approach that considers the building, its lifespan, significance, its context and all factors which may affect energy use. This will help avoid unintended consequences and ensure efficiency measures proposed are suitable, coordinated, integrated well and sustainable.

Inclume have a wide range of experience working on historic buildings and sensitively upgrading them to provide a more enjoyable living environment for occupants, reducing energy bills and providing more sustainable heating sources. As part of our architectural service, we work closely with Historic England and English Heritage, who provide useful guidance for improving heritage properties.

Our network of design specialists includes Passive House and Sustainability Consultants, who we regularly work with to create energy models, perform detailed technical calculations and ensure our proposals will perform as designed. We care about the long-term future of our country’s heritage buildings, and passionately believe that thoughtful sustainable retrofits have an important role to play in ensuring our collective carbon footprint is reduced.

You may be looking for an Architect in Cambridge to help with your design ideas for your home or a Conservation Architect that may be able to help advise on Grade Listed buildings. You can find out more about the architectural services we provide on our services page or contact Inclume direct to find out how we can help.