Retrofitting is the incorporation of measures to reduce energy consumption in buildings. These can be to the fabric of the buildings, such as insulating walls, and includes appropriate use of renewable energy technologies such as solar panels.
Expand the sections below to find out why retrofitting is relevant to Bath and North East Somerset.
The UK has a target for 15% of energy to be from renewable sources by 2020, and we need to play our part.
41% of our districts carbon emissions are from domestic properties, so we know domestic energy use is a major issue.
Our district has a high proportion of pre-1919 homes with solid walls constructed with traditional techniques, so a tailored approach is needed.
Fuel poverty and excess winter deaths are particular issues for the area.
Our Housing Conditions Survey from 2012 shows there is huge potential for improvements to thermal comfort in our housing stock
Environmental services play a significant role in the local economy.
Retrofit is predicted to generate £540m in sales and 3200 jobs per year across the West of England between 2011 and 2020.
Supports programme to encourage local green jobs and training.
Increases awareness of existing grant funds in B&NES. For example, for insulation and external wall insulation.
Supports local residents accessing financial incentives such as feed-in-tariffs and the renewable heat incentive.
The innovative Green Deal financial mechanism eliminates the need for householders and businesses to pay upfront for energy efficiency measures and instead introduces a way of meeting the cost of installation through savings on the electricity bills. The Green Deal will be accompanied by a new Energy Company Obligation (ECO) subsidy which will integrate with the Green Deal.
We intend to take a leadership role in helping people in the area to retrofit their homes, including with the use of Green Deal and ECO.
There are an impressive range of community led action-orientated projects around climate change and energy efficiency in Bath & North East Somerset. For example:
- Bath Green Homes - an annual open homes event run in collaboration between the council, Transition Bath and Bath Preservation Trust to showcase local examples of inspiring, warm, energy efficient homes.
- Energy Efficient Widcombe - a project aimed at enabling residents in Widcombe to be more energy efficient. A series of online information packs for different house types in this ward has been prepared by the group.
- London Road & Snow Hill climate change mitigation strategy - a Design Council CABE funded project identifying adaptations suitable to enhance the character of the conservation area and save energy.
61% of UK home energy use is related to space heating. To prioritise your retrofit it is useful to consider the average energy loss for a typical house. The Energy Saving Trust breakdown for typical heat loss in a house is as follows:
INSERT IMAGE OF HOUSE AND HEAT LOSS POINTS- 1. Walls - 33%
- 2. Roof - 26%
- 3. Windows and doors - 21%
- 4. Ventilation and drafts - 12%
- 5. Floor - 8%