Housing retrofit is key to carbon saving

2/2/2010

John Doggart, chair of the Sustainable Energy Academy, says individual homeowners are already showing the way.

Retrofit exemplar projects are already demonstrating that old houses can be improved to save 60-80 per cent of their carbon or more, as well as increasing the quality of life for occupants. Importantly, these exemplars are showing how this can all be delivered at an affordable cost.

Where are these exemplars? Across the UK there are more than 40 individual exemplar houses. These projects have been carried out by individual homeowners, enthusiasts who in pursuit of the retrofit process have become experts. Now these homeowners are evangelists, passing on the lessons they've learned, with a little bit of help from us. The Sustainable Energy Academy runs the Old Home Superhome campaign that helps homeowners to open their houses to the public during Open Days, with assistance from the Ashden Awards. Similar schemes are in operation in Germany, Australia and other countries.

The purpose of opening homes to the public is to inspire people to action. The public have to understand what retrofitting involves, and they need to see that the end result is something to which they can aspire. They need a touch-and-feel experience and they need to hear the message from a homeowner who is a trusted source. This is a vital step towards belief, which then leads to action.

The cost of retrofitting is around the same as most homeowners would spend upgrading a kitchen or bathroom. The Conservative Party's Green Deal would see homeowners allocated a loan of £6,500; while the government's Pay As You Save proposal is based on a loan of up to £20,000 for homeowners, both sums being recovered through reduced energy bills over ensuing year.

German experience in this area has shown that a euro spent by government can stimulate up to 6 euros of energy improvements. It would pay for the UK government to help homeowners to improve their houses by running campaigns like Old Home Superhome, and by providing low cost financing. It is popular with the public, improves comfort and quality of life, and costs governments relatively little. Above all, it engages householders at a local level to do their bit for the environment and make a major contribution to carbon saving.

John Doggart is chair of the Sustainable Energy Academy. and is co-founder of the Existing Homes Alliance. The Old Home Superhome campaign has its next Open Day on 28 March, 2010.