PRP designs a whole house retrofit solution in Cambridge
(23/08/2010)

Retrofit is an area which is enjoying renewed interest since the Government pledged to cut 80% of UK carbon emissions by 2050. Domestic emissions from residential buildings will need to be cut by 29% over the next ten years if the Government is going to meet these targets.

PRP has designed a whole house retrofit solution at 31 Byron Square in Cambridge, in conjunction with Cambridge City Council, which owns the property and contractor Hill Partnerships. The completed three-bedroom, semi detached property has undergone a complete low carbon retrofit to significantly reduce its energy consumption and carbon emissions through using innovative materials and technologies. The project also highlighted some key challenges which need to be addressed in future retrofit projects, such as delivery issues and funding.

Number 31 Byron Square is a 1940's steel frame house, which following the retrofit, now achieves an Energy Performance 'A' Rating. The solution maximises the thermal performance of the fabric and significantly reduces the reliance on fossil fuels. |The project is part of the Technology Strategy Board's national Retrofit for the Future programme, Cambridge University's Energy Department is undertaking extensive analysis on a range of social issues including the effect of occupancy numbers on energy consumption, and the Energy Savings Trust is undertaking environmental and social monitoring of the house over the next two years, so that findings from projects such as this can influence future retrofit solutions.

The 31 Byron Square project is a pilot to test various retrofit methods and technologies, prior to being rolled out on a larger scale.

The Byron Square retrofit includes the following innovative solutions:
Photovoltaics and solar thermal panels in matching frames
Aerogel insulated drylining
Triple glazed windows with thermal control layer
Full LED lighting
Flue gas heat recovery
Waste water heat recovery system
Low-energy decentralised whole house ventilation
Energy display system - interactive touch screen interface for education and awareness

Andrew Mellor, PRP's Environmental Director comments: "PRP's aim was to develop an energy reduction solution that was innovative yet replicable and economically viable. It's important that we try to resolve the lessons learnt through 31 Byron Square as we need to start the mass retrofit revolution very soon. Early consideration on how to solve delivery issues along with funding, incentives, resident awareness and quality control is imperative. PRP recommend a 'Retrofit Roadmap' to ensure that industry knowledge is shared and research is not wasted. Retrofit cannot be ignored as all homes in the UK may need to be near zero carbon by 2050, in order to meet the Government's targets."

Sara Garnham, Business Development Director, Hill Partnerships comments: “Reducing energy consumption for existing homes will be much more challenging than delivering new homes that consume less energy meeting high level Code for Sustainable Homes specifications. There will be a much greater impact on carbon reduction however. In completing these feasibility projects with PRP it is clear that the skills and expertise to deliver refurbished homes is as vital as understanding of the new products and technologies. Handling NASA-developed insulation correctly is as much a requirement as dealing with the unexpected services routing that you find in older properties. Lessons learnt from this project give us an excellent base to move forward with other projects.”

Sam Griggs, Home Energy Officer, Cambridge City Council comments: "We are very pleased to be part of this project and to have had the opportunity to help produce an extremely energy-efficient home. This will form a major part of our on-going strategy to reduce the city's carbon emissions. We have learnt a great deal from the process that will hopefully benefit all local residents and will further inform our housing stock refurbishment programme over the coming years."

David Bott, Director of Innovation Programmes at the Technology Strategy Board, comments: “We are delighted to see the completion of this project under our nationwide Retrofit for the Future programme. It is a great example of how the initiative has seen the retrofit market come together, with social landlords, local councils, architects and other specialist suppliers developing a range of high performance and cost effective prototype solutions.”

Lessons, Barriers and Recommendations from 31 Byron Square:
The UK supply chain needs to be developed
The length of time for projects need to decrease and residents need to be properly informed on how the process will impact them
Better survey data on properties is required prior to commencing work
Improved guidance and training for planning authorities is required
Contractors need more experience to accurately price works
Quality of retrofit delivery needs consideration along with effective warranty provision