Road To Net Zero Feature
Taking a calculated approach
Caroline Bowler of SIG Distribution explores how combining the right calculations with a fabric-first approach can yield the most efficient increase to thermal performance.
Road To Net Zero
A
s winter draws in, the focus on how to efficiently heat a home becomes more apparent. For housing associations and local authorities this serves as a stark reminder of the amount of work needing to be done
to existing homes to make them more thermally efficient. As the UK moves towards a net zero future and with domestic heating accounting for around 17% of the nation’s overall emissions, improving the overall efficiency of homes is vital if we are to achieve net zero by 2050. To build on the momentum of the great retrofit challenge, there are a number
of mechanisms and funds in place to help authorities and owners retrofit their housing stock for improved performance. One of the largest is the Warm Homes Social Housing Fund Wave 3 (WHSHF) which released £1.2 billion to help achieve an Energy Performance Rating of C or above for the millions of social homes in the UK which currently fall below this standard. In order to access this funding, a business case must be put forward which demonstrates the estimated cost of the improvements and the benefits this
would bring to occupiers. Terefore, doing the hard work up front to identify homes with the greatest potential as well as taking a commercial view on the most efficient way to achieve this, is vital. An important factor to note in the funding is the requirement that the retrofit
measures put in place cannot increase the energy costs for the householder. Tis places greater emphasis on ensuring the fabric of the building is addressed first. Installing an air source heat pump in a poorly insulated home would only result in increasing energy bills and therefore would put the Housing Association (HA) or Local Authority (LA) in breach of this regulation.
UNDERSTANDING HOUSING STOCK To retrofit each home effectively, the measures put in place must work holistically to deliver improvements. Implementing retrofit activity without proper expert advice or planning can render those improvements ineffective. Before any works commence, a full assessment of the current stock should
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