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Transcript of Refurbishing the Nation - Gathering the evidence
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Refurbishing the NaonGathering the evidence
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The Naonal Refurbishment Centre is a jointiniave between BRE, the Energy Saving Trust,
and partners to provide evidence and knowledge
that will support the mass delivery of green
refurbishment.
Naonal Refurbishment Centre, September 2012
The Naonal Refurbishment Centre
BRE, Bucknalls Lane
Waord, Herts
WD25 9XX
www.rethinkingrefurbishment.com
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The Naonal Refurbishment Centre would like to thank all those who took part in the UK-wide Rethinking Refurbishment
workshops and whose views are presented in this report. The Naonal Refurbishment Centre would also like to thank its
partners for their connued support and direcon, without which it would not be possible to deliver data, knowledge and
insight to industry and government.
Acknowledgements
Naonal Refurbishment Centre Partners
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Page
03 Foreword
04 Execuve summary
06 Where we are now
13 Around the UK
14 England
16 Wales
18 Scotland
19 Northern Ireland
21 The workshops
27 The Naonal Refurbishment Centre
31 Appendix - full workshop feedback
Contents
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ForewordOver the past two years the Naonal Refurbishment
Centre led a series of workshops across England, Wales,
Scotland and Northern Ireland to nd out what the
sector thinks are the main barriers and opportunies to
delivering sustainable refurbishment on a mass scale.
Much has happened during this me. Refurbishment has
become an increasingly important sector for the con-
strucon industry and has demonstrated its resilience in
an exceponally tough economic climate. At the same
me policy makers and industry stakeholders recognise
the crical role that green refurbishment has to play in
meeng the UKs low-carbon commitments. Put simply,
if the countrys exisng buildings cannot be made more
energy-ecient it is unlikely that the UK will reduce CO2
emissions by 80% by 2050 a commitment enshrined in
the Climate Change Act.
This is why, at the me of wring, the government is
developing the Green Deal nance package for con-
sumers, having already launched the Feed-in Tari and
Renewable Heat Incenve. It is also why new energy-
ecient and low carbon innovaons are being rolled out
and more colleges are starng to oer specialist retrotcourses for installers. At the same me more of the UKs
universies are researching issues related to building
refurbishment than perhaps at any me in the past.
Yet there are sll gaps in what we know about which
soluons work best; gaps in knowledge that will make
delivery of refurbishment on mass-scale more dicult.
Since the rst workshops were carried out in England in
2010, the Naonal Refurbishment Centre has become a
key evidence hub for both industry and government to
support a naonwide refurbishment programme. In the
past two years major product suppliers, retailers, hous-
ing associaons, contractors, educaon providers and
stakeholder organisaons have become partners. The
Naonal Refurbishment Centre has gathered together
data from over 500 refurbishment exemplars to begin
to truly understand the cost and eecveness of dier-
ent energy-eciency measures for dierent house and
building types. This evidence has already been used by
government in developing the Green Deal, for example.
The Naonal Refurbishment Centres inaugural report
Rethinking Refurbishment Developing a NaonalProgramme, set out to understand industry atudes
towards refurbishment and retrot in England. This
report widens that understanding with feedback from
stakeholders in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland,
while providing valuable informaon about the dierent
policies and regulaons within each of the devolved na-
ons. It also summarises the characteriscs of the UKs
domesc and non-domesc market and includes some
interesng and useful analysis of the data collected from
the refurbishment exemplars so far.
The aim of this report, therefore, is not only to explain
the goals and achievements of the Naonal Refurbish-ment Centre but to provide a concise overview of the
refurbishment landscape across the UK. I therefore hope
this report will be a useful resource to the sector as well
encouraging more organisaons to work with us as we
seek to address the challenges and maximise the oppor-
tunies that the refurbishment of the UK building stock
provides.
Chris Ward-Brown
Chairman, Naonal Refurbishment Centre
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that refurbishment and retrot has to play whether
it be simply insulang a lo or more complicated eco-upgrades such as an air-source-heat-pump. Likewise,
industry stakeholders have for a number of years urged
for a more concerted approach towards mass delivery of
green refurbishment. Nevertheless, an eecve delivery
remains elusive, with the lack of hard data about the
most eecve energy-eciency methods in terms of
CO2
and energy bill savings, ease of installaon, cost and
maintenance.
Creang an evidence hub
In response, BRE and the Energy Saving Trust joined forces
with partners to create the Naonal Refurbishment Centre
(NRC). Since 2010, the it has been compiling evidence
from over 500 refurbishment exemplars, believed to be
the largest data-set of its kind in the UK. As an evidence
hub, the Naonal Refurbishment Centre has already
provided the Department of Environment and Climate
Change with data from its refurbishment exemplars to
support the development of the Green Deal nancialmechanism. It has also developed a publicly accessible
online database called the Refurbishment Portal.
By gathering data and analysing refurbishment measures,
the NRC is able to inform iniaves geared towards
carbon reducon across the sector. By having a clear
understanding based on hundreds of exemplars, it is able
to work with its partners to idenfy eciencies in the
supply chain, eecve soluons, and inform into the skills
arena on best pracce and buildability for the exisng
Execuve summaryBuildings account for around 44% of the UKs enre
greenhouse gas emissions, with 26% coming from homes.
At the same, me fuel poverty is increasing on the back
of rising fuel costs. In order to meet the 80% carbon
reducon target for 2050 set out in the legally-binding
Climate Change Act (2008) and to reduce fuel bills, the
UK must make its buildings more sustainable and energy
ecient.
The challenge is great. In the UK we have some of the
oldest building stock in Europe, most of which will sll be
in use by 2050. It is esmated, for example, that across the
UK, only 1% of the housing stock meets modern thermal
eciency levels. Poor insulaon means higher fuel bills,
which pose a threat to the nances of most households
across the UK, many of which are in fuel poverty.
Building enough new low carbon homes to solve the
emissions challenge is clearly an unrealisc proposion;
the answer is to make our exisng buildings perform
beer through sustainable refurbishment. However, to
meet government targets refurbishment needs to take
place on a massive scale. The government esmates that
5,000 homes will need to be refurbished per day, in orderto meet its 2050 carbon reducon target. Equally, this
presents massive employment opportunies, with the
Energy Saving Trust esmang that more than 100,000
insulaon jobs could be created.
Iniaves such as the Green Deal nance package,
Feed-in Taris and the Renewable Heat Incenve show
that government clearly understands the vital role
Some challenges More than 13,000 homes per week will need
to be refurbished if we are to meet 2050targets
Buildings (domesc and non-domesc)
produce 44% of the UKs CO2
emissions
39% of the exisng housing stock was built
before 1945
4 million households are currently in fuel
poverty and this gure is rising.
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stock. And by focusing on area-based intervenons it can
guide a programme of works across the UK, with an eyeon achieving long and medium term carbon reducon
targets.
Understanding the eecveness of refurbishment
soluons is the focus of the NRC but so too is the skills
agenda, for the right balance needs to be achieved
between o-site manufacture, product innovaon and
skilled on-site trades to maximise the savings from
products and services.
The NRC also raises awareness about refurbishment and
regularly speaks at workshops, seminars and conferences.
It will connue this role of supporng both government,and industry in the development of a praccal, evidence-
based approach to delivering green refurbishment on a
naonwide scale, with a parcular emphasis of idenfying
gaps in current soluons and skills.
What industry wants
Collaboraon and knowledge sharing is key to such an
iniave, which is why a series of workshops was carried
out in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland,
to understand the challenges and opportunies of those
directly involved in refurbishment.
These workshops took place over an extended period
between 2010 and 2011. The views expressed, while
broadly similar, reect the introducon of government
iniaves during 2011 and 2012 and conveyed certain
local consideraons. For example, both Welsh and Scosh
workshop parcipants highlighted issues related to rural
communies and building types; in Scotland there was a
parcular problem of some inappropriate house designs
for local weather. In Northern Ireland, parcipants were
parcularly keen for more leadership and joined-up
thinking from government.
Workshop parcipants strongly agreed that a more
joined-up approach was urgently needed, with beer
co-ordinaon and collaboraon. They wanted a one-stop
shop of reliable, imparal informaon and guidance,
built on exisng tools, knowledge and best pracce on a
variety of subjects from technical know-how to potenal
sources of nance. They also wanted a single voice that
could bring organisaons together, inform government
thinking and shape the refurbishment agenda.
In addion, parcipants wanted the following:
Development of refurbishment standards, including arefurbishment equivalent of the Code for Sustainable
Homes.
Beer skill levels parcularly for smaller building
contractors and local professionals, creang links
with training providers all levels.
Soluons based on local building-types
and materials, with a reliance on local contractors to
deliver work wherever possible.
Promoon of praccal and achievable soluons,
such as cavity wall insulaon; easy-to-use, low-tech
soluons; and both project-by-project as well as
whole house approach to refurbishment.
Development of improved funding streams and
nancial incenves to improve the business case for
manufacturers and suppliers and for consumers to
invest in new technology.
Improve communicaon and engagement
of the supply chain especially small building
contractors and consumers regarding the benets
of green refurbishment.
Our mission
The NRC aims to support a joined-up approachbacked up by robust performance data,
strengthened by collaborave praccal problem-
solving. Bringing together the widest range
of partners will allow the sector to shape the
agenda, develop best pracce and through
partner acvity, engage consumers and the small
building contractors who are the backbone of UK
refurbishment.
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Where we are now
The UK building sector currently faces wide-ranging
challenges, including the target to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by 80% by 2050[1]. This secon introduces those
challenges but also opportunies.
The challenges
It is widely agreed that our changing climate poses a great
threat to the planet. If greenhouse gas emissions connue
to grow at the present rate, by 2050 CO2
levels in the
atmosphere are likely to be twice pre-industrial levels,
resulng in high temperature increases. A temperature
increase beyond 2C above pre-industrial levels is
regarded as a pping point beyond which severe rises intemperature become irreversible [2].
The eects of climate change are already being felt in
the UK. According to the Met Oce, the country has
experienced nine of the 10 warmest years on record
since 1990. Sea levels have risen 10cm since 1900, and
total summer rainfall has decreased in most parts of the
country[3].
Reducing CO2
by 80%
In 2008, the UK passed the Climate Change Act to
try and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions throughlegislave measures. Under this long-term, legally-binding
framework, the UK is commied to an 80% reducon in
CO2
emissions by 2050 against 1990 levels, and a 30%
reducon by 2020.
The Act places a series of caps on total UK emissions,
which from 2013 will come under the EU Emissions
Trading Scheme and other internaonal schemes. Under
these carbon budgets, set over successive ve-year
periods, every tonne of greenhouse gas emied between
now and 2050 will count. Where emissions rise in one
sector, the country will have to achieve corresponding falls
in another.
The trouble with our buildings
In the UK, buildings are responsible for 44% of CO2
emissions, with 26% being produced by around 26 million
homes and 18% by two million non-residenal buildings [4].
Houses alone produced 153 MtCO2in 2006,[5] helping
to bring about the climac and weather changes that
adversely impact buildings, such as oods from increased
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rainfall and subsidence from drought condions. Clearlythe countrys buildings must perform beer.
This is not helped by the UK having some of the oldest
buildings in Europe. Take our houses, 21% of which
according to the latest BRE research[6] were built before
1919 and the advent of cavity walls (Figure 1). Oen
described as hard-to-treat, these solid-wall houses are
unable to benet from relavely simple energy-eciency
Fig. 1 UK housing stock. Almost 60% of housing in England,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were built before 1964
(Source: unpublished BRE research).
Standards in social housing
England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each have standards to ensure that their social houses are warm,
weather ght and have modern facilies. In England and Northern Ireland, for example, the Decent Homes Standard
is linked to environmental health regulaons under which social homes should be free of Category 1 (serious) hazards,
which broadly correlates with having an energy-eciency standard of less than SAP35. Decent homes also need to
meet a thermal comfort criterion: they should be ed with programmable heang systems, and to have minimum
levels of lo insulaon and/or cavity wall insulaon.
Scotland and Wales equivalent are the Scosh Housing Quality Standard and Welsh Housing Quality Standard.
Although these standards apply to social housing, councils may work to ensure private properes meet the standards.
measures like cavity-wall insulaon. Generally speaking,
the energy performance of many older buildings falls
below that of newly-constructed ones. For example, in its
Home Economics report, the Energy Saving Trust shows
that a pre-1919 electrically heated terraced house with
poor energy-eciency measures will leak 14.2 tonnes of
CO2
annually. Yet while poor-performing pre-1919 homes
of this sort emit the most CO2
they make up a relavely
small fracon of the overall stock; in terms of sheer of
numbers, the greatest challenge we face therefore comes
from those houses built later in the tweneth century[7].
Poor quality and thermally inecient buildings are also
likely to suer most from cold and dampness. While each
of the devolved naons has a housing quality standard(see panel), this only covers local authority and registered
social landlord dwellings. With social housing in decline
across the UK (in England local authority-owned homes
dropped from 2.81 million in 2001 to 1.73 million in
2011[8]) millions of privately rented and owner-occupier
households could be suering from cold and damp
condions. The poor quality of our buildings is a real
problem when we consider that at least 75% of exisng
buildings will sll be in use in 2050[7].
Cold, damp homes have a nancial as well as a human
cost. Using data from the 2007 English Housing CondionSurvey and the governments Housing Health and Safety
Rang System, BRE esmated that the poorest housing in
England alone could be cosng the NHS more than 600
million per year to treat the health problems of occupants;
the overall cost to society could be as much as 1.5 billion
annually in lost earnings[9].
Pre-1919:
21%
1919-44
16%
1945-65
20%
Post-64
43%
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Fuel poverty
Climate change may be the greatest environmentalchallenge the world faces, but for millions of UK
households, simply being able to heat their homes
properly is the most immediate problem. The good news
is that fuel poverty has declined slightly. According to
government gures released in May 2012, across the
UK fuel poverty fell from 5.5 million households in 2009
to 4.75 million in 2010. This was partly due to energy-
eciency improvements, parcularly the installaon of
condensing boilers. There was a similar drop in vulnerable
households (those with elderly, children or somebody who
is disabled or long term sick residents)[10].
However, an upward pressure on energy prices due to
increased worldwide demand, has led to increases in fuel
bills, which are unlikely to drop signicantly. According to
government gures published in June 2012, for example,
the overall prices paid for all fuel and light increased by
10.9% between the rst quarters of 2011 and 2012[11]. This
poses a real threat to recent improvements in fuel poverty
gures.
Make good our exisng buildings
Given the low rates of new house building in recent
years and issues around planning, construcng our way
towards the 80% carbon reducon target is unrealisc.
Improving the buildings we have will be the most eecve
way to reduce carbon and improve comfort on a large
scale. Indeed, the Commiee on Climate Change (CCC),
which was set up in 2008 as part of the Climate Change
Act, recognised the importance of refurbishment in
its rst report to government[12] when it advised that
the aggregate reducon of emissions from exisng
buildings far exceeded those of new buildings. In its 2009
publicaon Knock it down or do it up, BRE also described
the considerable green house gas emissions and waste
created from the demolion of buildings and tradional
construcon methods. It also set out the arguments ofEnglish Heritage and CABE who advocate the importance
of old buildings in place-making[13].
However, the challenge of green refurbishment (which
includes basic measures, such as lo insulaon, and
more complicated ones such as solid wall insulaon and
renewable heat generaon) cannot be over-esmated.
The government esmates that 5,000 homes will need to
be refurbished per day, in order to meet the governments
2050 targets. Yet so far the pace of refurbishment remains
slow. For example,while home insulaon rates broadly
increased in 2011-2012 (Figure 2) they will need to beramped up signicantly to align with the CCCs target
trajectory set out in its third progress report[14], which
quotes gures from the Department of Energy and
Climate Change ( Figures 3 and 4).
Room-by-room versus a whole-building approach
The expense and complexity of refurbishing whole
buildings is the primary reason that individuals and
business do not carry out energy-eciency measures.
For example, the Energy Saving Trust found that more
than 60% of UK householders cited hassle and lack of
knowledge as the main reasons for not implemenngenergy-saving measures[15]. Nevertheless, 85% of
householders were also willing to stretch their normal
home improvement budgets by up to 10% to include
energy-eciency measures. With four million households
planning or ancipang a major refurbishment, such
as the renovaon of a kitchen or bathroom, one way
to increase consumer engagement is to encourage
householders to add energy-eciency measures to these
trigger points.
Crics of the room-by-room approach might argue that
carrying out refurbishment projects in one hit beer
maximises economies of scale and actually reduces longer-
Dening a fuel-poor householdThe methodology for dening fuel poverty is set
by each of the devolved naons, though they
are broadly the same. A household that needs
to spend more than 10% of its income on fuel to
maintain an adequate level of warmth is generally
dened as being fuel poor.
Refurb or retrot?By refurbishment, the Naonal RefurbishmentCentre means mulple energy-eciency measures
fabric, heang and renewable technologies
applied sequenally or as part of a whole house
soluon. Retrot is the installaon of a specic
measure, such as xing photovoltaic panels to a
factory roof or xing external solid-wall insulaon
to the front of a terraced house.
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Fig. 2 Esmates of home insulaon levels in the UK (Reproduced from Esmates of home insulaon levels in Great Britain: January
2012, DECC Stascal Release, March 2012).
Apr
2007
Apr
2008
Apr
2009
Apr
2010
Jan
2011
Apr
2011
Jul
2011
Oct
2011
Jan
2012
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
Apr
2008
Apr
2009
Apr
2010
Jan
2011
Apr
2011
Jul
2011
Oct
2011
Jan
2012
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Fig. 3 The Climate Change
Commiees projecons for
cavity wall insulaon cumulave
installaons (2008-2015)
(Source: Climate Change Commiee Meeng
Carbon Budgets ensuring a low-carbon
recovery, p.90)2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
CCC Indicator trajectory
Actual trajectory
Trajectory if 2010 installaon
rates connues
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
CCC Indicator trajectory
2008
2009
2010
2022
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
Actual trajectory
Trajectory if 2010 installaon
rates connues
Fig. 3 The Climate Change
Commiees projecons for solid wall
insulaon cumulave installaons
(2008-2015)
(Source: Climate Change Commiee Meeng
Carbon Budgets ensuring a low-carbon
recovery, p.90)
Cavity wall insulaon Lo insulaon >125mm Solid wall insulaon
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term disrupon caused by repeated visits from the builder.
However, if the 2050 target is to be met, all approacheswill need to be considered and implemented, whether it
be a room-by-room, whole-house, street-by-street or even
city-by-city approach.
Economic opportunies
The challenges are great but there are also opportunies.
Domesc and non-domesc refurbishment was worth
35.6 million or a third of total construcon output in
2011[16] and with around 23 million homes needing
refurbishment between now and 2050, the retrot
programme could be worth 280 billion to the UK
economy in that period.
The Energy Saving Trusts Home Economics report of 2011esmated that more than 100,000 jobs could be created
to insulate 5.7 million empty cavity walls and 12.8 million
los that need more insulaon; with boiler replacement,
the total number of jobs created rises to 140,500. That
includes not only installer jobs, but also manufacturing
and assembly, transport and administraon. For full-scale
refurbishments (including solid-wall insulaon, heang
controls, draught-proong, triple-glazing and renewable) a
total of 4.7 million jobs could be supported[17].
Recognising the potenal, government has developed the
Green Deal nancial mechanism to kick-start the greenrefurbishment market, which will enable providers to oer
consumers up-front loans for refurbishment and retrot
measures, which can be paid through energy bills. As
part of this the government is comming funds for 1,000
Green Deal apprences.
Fabric-rst approachRenewable energy sources should always come
second to insulang a building and making it
airght. Without these measures, occupiers wont
receive the benets from their renewable energy
and micro-generaon installaons.
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Non-domesc buildings
As has already been highlighted, non-domesc buildings,account for 17% of the countrys carbon emissions. In
its report Building the Future, Today, the Carbon Trust
reported that in 2005 two-thirds of emissions from non-
domesc buildings come from industrial, retail, leisure and
hospitality buildings and commercial oces (Figure 5)
Nearly half of emissions currently come from heang;
just under a quarter from lighng and the remainder split
between cooling and everything else (Figure 6).
Fig. 5 Breakdown of non-domesc emissions by sector,
(Reproduced from the Carbon Trusts Building the Future Today
report).
Fig.5 CO2
emissions by end use (Reproduced from the Carbon
Trusts Building the Future Today report).
UK non-domesc buildings: 18% of 560MtCO2
emied in in 2005
9%
14%
23%
18%
15%
4%
4%
4%
7%
3%
3%
1%1%
Industrial
Retail
Hotels, inns &
restaurants
Commercial
oces
Schools
FE & HE
educaon
Govt.
estates
Sports
Public
oces
Heritage &
entertainment
HealthcareTransport
Miscellaneous
100% = 106MtCO2
(2005)
46%Heang
23%
Lighng
11%Cooling &
venlaon
8%Catering
4%3% 4%Hot water
Oce equipmentOther
More than three-quarters of non-domesc buildings were
built before 1985, with nearly a third built before 1939;by 2050, 32% of these will sll be standing. However, the
Carbon Trust believes that non-domesc buildings present
a parcularly good opportunity to cost-eecvely reduce
the UKs overall carbon emissions. It believes that a 35%
CO2
reducon could be made by 2020 against 2005 levels
with a net benet to the UK of at least 4 billion. It also
esmates that up to 75% of carbon could be cut by 2050
at no net cost, using measures that exist today[18].
EU Direcves
The Energy Performance Direcve (EPBD)
The EPBD, which covers new and exisng buildings,
governs the implementaon of Energy Performance
Cercates, Display Energy Cercates and energy
eciency requirements within UK Building Regulaons.
Originally approved in 2002, the EPBD is now being
replaced by a recast EPBD, which strengthens energy
requirements for new buildings. There are currently no
specic targets set for refurbishment, though there is
an expectaon that member states base requirements
around their most energy-ecient public buildings.
The Energy-Eciency Direcve (EED)
The proposed EED sought to impose legally-binding
energy-eciency targets of 20 % by 2020 across
Europe, providing a legal framework for the EUs 2020
Vision. However, a compromise EED, was acceptedby the European Council in June 2012, under which
member states can set their own targets. Furthermore,
obligatory energy-eciency targets for public buildings
may now only apply to central government buildings.
However, member states must present an energy
eciency acon plan every three years and develop
roadmaps for refurbishing buildings.
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Towards a mass-refurbishment drive
Since the publicaon of Rethinking Refurbishment.Developing a Naonal Programme in October 2010,
sustainable refurbishment and retrot has risen rmly up
the agenda of both government and industry.
The development of the Green Deal, launched in October
2012, has provided industry with a focus but a praccal
naonwide delivery programme for retrong buildings
sll remains elusive. A major hurdle is sll the lack
of knowledge about the performance of exisng and
emerging green refurbishment and retrot soluons as
they are used in dierent building types.
To that end, the Naonal Refurbishment Centre has been
collecng the data from 500 refurbishment demonstraon
projects to analyse such things as cost eecveness and
possible gaps in skills.
Understanding the praccal issues that those involved
with refurbishment actually face is another strand of
evidence that will help idenfy routes towards mass
refurbishment. The Naonal Refurbishment Centre has
therefore sought the views of professionals in a series
of workshops. The following secon examines what
stakeholders from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland believe are the main barriers and opportuniesseng it in the context of the regulatory and legislave
landscape.
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Around the UK
An overview of the regulaons and government iniaves in
each of the devolved naons and industry atudes across the
UK.
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England
Age of Englands housing stock (Source: English Housing
Survey 2009-10 Household Report, Communies and Local
Government, July 2011).
English housing at a glance
Households: 21.5 million (2009)j
Average SAP rang: 55 (2009)j
Households in fuel poverty: 3.5 million (2010k
Homes with cavity wall and lo insulaon:
14.2% (Q16, 2012)l
j
English Housing Survey 2009-10, DCLG, Feb 2011k
Annual Report on Fuel Poverty Stascs 2012, DECC, 2012l
CERT Summary Report Q16 by English Regions, Scotland, Wales, Energy Saving Trust
Regulations and Standards
Building Regulaons Part L (England & Wales)
Part L of the regulaons covers energy eciency
in domesc and non-domesc buildings. It is the
governments primary tool for driving a buildings
environmental performance standards in England.
The latest revisions, which came into force in October
2010, require a 25% reducon in CO2
emissions against
2006 regulaons rising to 44% in 2013, with a zero carbon
target for 2016. SAP sets emissions target, which is related
to size and form of the home.
Under Part L1B (Exisng buildings) only signicant
improvements need be applied to such things as
extensions, installaon of double glazing or ng of
conservatories. There are also consequenal improvement
requirements that aect exisng homes for example,
upgrading the energy eciency of the whole of an internal
wall when work is planned to be undertaken on more
than 25% of that wall. For certain types of major works
with oor areas over 1,000m2, where the work has the
potenal to increase energy intensity, such as extending
the building, addional measures are needed to make the
exisng building more energy ecient.
Energy Performance Cercate (EPC)
Homeowners are required to provide potenal buyers
and tenants with EPCs whenever a home is being sold or
rented. The EPC, using theorecal modelling based on
the performance potenal of a buildings design fabric,
gives the home an A (most ecient) to G (least ecient)
energy-eciency rang, standardised informaon
about running costs, and recommendaons for energy-
eciency and low-carbon improvements. EPCs are valid
for 10 years and should be provided alongside property
parculars. EPCs are produced by accredited domescenergy assessors, using a reduced-data version of the SAP
methodology.
Non Domesc Energy Performance Cercate (NDPC)
As with EPCs, NDPCs use an A-G rang system to show
how energy-ecient a commercial or public building is
and is calculated in the same way as an EPC.
1945-64:
20%
1919-44
17%1965-80:
21%
Pre-1919:
21%
1980-90:9%
Post-1990:
12%
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Feed-in Taris (FiTs)
Launched in April 2010 with an 867 million budget overfour years, the governments FiTs scheme encourages
consumers to invest in small-scale micro-generaon
technologies such as photovoltaic (PV) panels, by allowing
them to claim regular payments from energy suppliers
for generang and exporng surplus electricity back
into the naonal grid. However, an unexpected rise in
the installaon of solar PV, fuelled by a 45% drop in
installaon costs against 2009 levels, threatened the
budget. From August 2012, the standard generaon tari
for a solar PV (up to 4kW for a retrot project) dropped
from the original 41.3 pence per kW generated to 16
pence (EPC Band D or higher). Eligibility was also limited to
premises with a certain level of thermal eciency.
Renewable Heat Incenve (RHI)
The RHI scheme provides consumers with a nancial
incenve to install renewable heang technologies such
as solar thermal systems and heat-pumps by allowing
them to claim money back from energy suppliers for
every metered kW produced. It was introduced in 2012
for non-domesc users, with taris set at dierent rates
and spanning 20 years. For example, a large ground source
heat pump of 100kWth or above, will receive 3 pence
per kWth metered. The government has so far invested
15 million towards the Renewable Heat Premium to
help domesc consumers install solar thermal hot water
systems, heat pumps and biomass boilers. Payments range
from 300 to 1,250 depending on the technology. The
launch of the RHI for domesc households is expected for
the summer of 2013, following government consultaon.
Wales
Regulations and standards
Building Regulaons (Wales)
From 1 January, 2012 revisions to the current Building
Regulaons (England and Wales) and associated
procedures and guidance will be made by the Welsh
government, which is expected to issue its rst devolved
Weslsh housing at a glance
Households: 1.3 million (2009)j
Average SAP rang: 61.9 (2009)j
Households in fuel poverty: 332,000 (2008)k
Homes with cavity wall and lo insulaon:
17.9% (Q16, 2012)l
jHousehold Esmates for Wales, 2010. Welsh Government, 2011
kLiving In Wales 2008, Welsh Government
lCERT Summary Report Q16 by English Regions, Scotland, Wales, Energy Saving Trust
Age of Wales housing stock (Source: Unpublished BRE
research, 2012).
PAYSAhead of the Green Deal, the government carried
out ve Pay As You Save (PAYS) pilot schemes to
understand householder movaon and take-up. A
total of 311 householders across England signed upto the pilot, with on average two to three energy
eciency measures installed in each household.
The average total value of each package ranged
from 4,194 to 13,217, with over 70% repaying
over 25 years. Double glazing was the most
popular measure, followed by solar PV. The Energy
Saving Trust, which managed the pilot schemes,
has published its ndings in the Home energy Pay
As You Save pilot reviewreport[19].
1945-64:
21%
1919-44
11%
Pre-1919:
30%Post-1964:
38%
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Building Regulaons in 2013. The government has
indicated that it will set a 55% improvement (over the2006 Building Regulaons) as the target for the rst
changes to the devolved regulaons.
The Welsh government is commied to the Zero Carbon
housing and the Assembly Government intends to
undertake a further review of Part L in 2014 to consider
the next steps towards zero carbon.
Energy cercates (EPCs and DECs)
Refer to the England secon for details about Energy
Performance Cercates (EPCs) and Display Energy
Cercates (DECs).
Welsh Housing Quality Standard
The Welsh Assembly Government has set a target that all
social housing in Wales should meet the Welsh Housing
Quality Standard (WHQS) by 2012. The WHQS sets a
minimum energy performance standard of SAP65 (in the
middle of Band D on an Energy Performance Cercate),
and also requires some minimum features in homes, such
as programmable heang controls.
Environmental Health Regulaon
Refer to the England secon for details.
Incentive programmes
The Green Deal, Energy Company Obligaon, Feed-in
Taris, and the Renewable Heat Incenve, apply to Wales.
Refer to the England secon for details.
The Arbed scheme
Arbed means save in Welsh and the scheme aims to
upgrade the energy eciency of exisng housing stock
in some of the most deprived parts of Wales. Phase 1,
which ended in March 2011, aimed to improve the energy
eciency in 6,000 homes. The welsh government is
comming 45 million for Phase 2 to improve the energy
eciency of a minimum of 4,800 exisng homes and
reduce a minimum of 11.6 KTCO2
(Kilo-tonnes of CO2) of
greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2015.
Nest
Nest is the Welsh fuel poverty scheme that oers advice,
full home energy assessments and home improvements
for the most energy inecient homes at no cost to the
occupant. The scheme is open to those receiving benets
and living in the hardest-to-heat homes. Nest can oer a
range of home improvements, including central heang
boilers and lo, cavity wall and solid wall insulaon.
Tackling Fuel Poverty in Wales
Wales introduced a naonal fuel poverty scheme
on 1 April, 2011. The scheme focuses on homes
that have an Energy Performance Cercate Band
F or G rang and householders who are eligible for
a range of means tested benets.
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The Scosh Housing Quality Standard
The Scosh Housing Quality Standard (SHQS), introduced
in 2004, is the principal measure of housing quality
in Scotland. It is the equivalent to the Decent Homes
Standard in England and Northern Ireland and the Welsh
Housing Quality Standard.
In order to pass this minimum standard, properes must
meet a set of ve broad housing criteria, which consist
of 55 elements that the property is measured against.
For social housing, there is a policy target for landlords to
bring their stock up to every element of the standard by
April 2015. Private sector landlords and owner-occupied
households are not subject to this target.
In June 2012, the Scosh government also published its
consultaon document, Developing an Energy Eciency
Standard for Social Housing. The dra standard builds
upon the SHQS and is part of Scotlands wider Sustainable
Housing Strategy. The aim is to set a challenging, yet
achievable rang, which both warm, low-carbon homes in
a nancially sustainable way.
Scosh housing at a glance
Households: 2.37 million (2011)j
Average SAP rang: 61.9 (2011)j
Households in fuel poverty: 658,000 (2010)k
Homes with cavity wall and lo insulaon:
15.2% (Q16, 2012)l
jEsmates of Households and Dwellings in Scotland, The Scosh Government 2011
kThe Scosh House Condion Survey, The Scosh Government, 2011
lCERT Summary Report Q16 by English Regions, Scotland, Wales, Energy Saving
Trust, 2012
Age of Scotlands housing stock (Source: Unpublished BRE
research, 2012).
1945-64:23%
1919-44
14%
Pre-1919:
19%
Post-1964:
44%
Scotland
Regulations and standards
Building Standards
Secon 6 of the Scosh Building Standards, which relates
to energy performance, came into force in 2009, with
amendments in 2010. For new homes, the standards
and guidance are intended to achieve an improvement
of around 30% reducon in carbon emissions against
previous standards (2007). It is expected that furtherrequirements will be introduced in 2013 and 2016.
The standards include a consequenal improvements
requirement. This applies when homeowners build an
extension to an energy inecient home and choose,
either to make energy saving improvements to the whole
house, or to build the extension using higher insulaon
standards.
A building owner may employ an Approved Cerer
of Design to ensure that their building meets the
requirements of Secon 6 (Energy) Scosh BuildingStandards. The status of Approved Cerer of Design is
only given to people who hold appropriate qualicaons
and have sucient experience to cerfy that the part of
the design process relevant to Secon 6 is compliant.
Energy cercates (EPCs and DECs)
Refer to the England secon for details about Energy
Performance Cercates (EPCs) and Display Energy
Cercates (DECs).
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Northern Ireland
Regulations and standards
Building Regulaons (Northern Ireland) 2006
The conservaon of fuel and power in dwellings
is contained in Part F1 of the Building Regulaons
(Northern Ireland), which was last revised in 2006.
As with Part L (England and Wales), the regulaons
Incentive programmes
The Green Deal, Energy Company Obligaon, Feed-inTaris, and the Renewable Heat Incenve, apply to
Scotland. Refer to the England secon for details.
The Home Insulaon SchemeThe Home Insulaon Scheme (HIS) is designed
to improve the energy eciency of houses in
specic areas of Scotland, selected on the basis of
deprivaon, housing stock, and levels of emissions.
HIS promotes and installs free or discounted
lo and cavity wall insulaon plus other energysaving measures. It is available to around 380,000
properes in 29 local authority areas.
NI housing at a glance
Households: 688,700 (2008)j
Average SAP rang: 57 (2009)j
Households in fuel poverty: 302,300 (2009)k
Homes with cavity wall and lo insulaon:
65% (2001-2009)k
j2008 Based Household Projecons for Areas within Northern Ireland, Northern
Ireland Stascal Research Agency, August 2010k
Northern Ireland House Condion Survey 2009, Northern Ireland Housing
Execuve, 2010
Age of Northern Irelands housing stock (Source: Unpublished
BRE research, 2012).
1945-64:
17%
1919-44
10%
Post-1964:
60%
Pre-1919:
13%
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apply to consequenal work in exisng buildings and
major extensions. At the me of wring, consultaon
is underway for a further revision. It is expected that
Northern Ireland will adopt the 25% reducon of CO2
emissions included in the 2010 revisions to Part L (England
and Wales), which came into force in October 2012.
Energy cercates (EPCs and DECs)
Refer to the England secon for details about Energy
Performance Cercates (EPCs) and Display Energy
Cercates (DECs).
Decent Homes Standard
The Northern Ireland Housing Execuve is responsible forthe Decent Homes Standard, which sets the standards
for modern homes. In 2009/ 10 the Housing Execuve
invested 239 million on improvement programmes
and maintenance of public housing; improving private
sector homes through grant aid; promote good house
design standards; and improve energy eciency. Work
in 2010/11 includes 3,150 improvements and planned
maintenance work to 7,700 Housing Execuve homes.
Environmental Health Regulaon
Northern Ireland has so far not adopted the Housing
Health and Safety Rang System (HHSRS), which has
replaced the Fitness Standard in England. However, the
Housing Execuve sll measure the HHSRS using the
Housing Condion Survey (HCS) in order to compare data
with other naons. Surveys have been undertaken against
the 2001, 2006 and 2009 Northern Ireland HCS, with a
2011 HCS providing updated gures for Northern Ireland.
Incentive programmes
The Green New Deal
The Green Deal will not apply to Northern Ireland. Instead,
there is the Green New Deal Group is a coalion of 40organisaons and individuals from across the public,
private and third sectors, with a wide-ranging programme
to cut fossil-fuel consumpon and build a compeve
low-carbon economy. This includes the refurbishment
of around 137,000 homes and transforming the energy
performance of public buildings.
The Green New Deal was allocated 12 million in the
2011-15 Budget but is currently under review, including
a business proposal submied by the Green New Deal
Group. The Northern Ireland government is assessingit against other opons, such as an an extension to the
Warm Homes budget.
Northern Ireland Renewables Obligaon (NIRO)
NIRO is the main support mechanism for increasing the
level of electricity consumpon generated from renewable
energy sources. NIRO places an obligaon on electricity
suppliers to account each year for a nincreasing amount
of their sales from renewable sources or to pay a buy-out
fee that is proporonate to any shorall. Suppliers comply
with the NIRO by presenng Renewables Obligaon
Cercates (ROCs) which are issued to renewable
generators according to the level of output. The NIRO
operates in tandem with similar obligaons in the UK.
Renewable Heat Incenve (RHI)
In September 2011, the Department of Enterprise,Trade and Investment launched a public consultaonon the potenal introducon of the RHI in NorthernIreland. This consultaon sought views of stakeholderson the design and implementaon of the RHI as well ason other proposals for developing the renewable heatmarket. Among the proposals was that the RHI should beavailable to the domesc sector by October 2011, withinterim support available unl a longer term scheme isintroduced.
Warm Homes Scheme
This scheme is funded by Northern Irelands Department
for Social Development for those receiving benets,
homeowners and private landlord tenants. Measures
covered include cavity wall and lo insulaon. Warm
Homes Plus is for households with Economy 7, solid fuel
and boled gas/LPG.
NISEP
The Northern Ireland Sustainable EnergyProgramme (NISEP) is Northern Irelands supplier
obligaon, similar to the Community Energy
Saving Programme (CESP). NISEP promotes energy
eciency and sustainable energy supplies that
oer the best value for customers, especially those
who are vulnerable. Gas providers received funds
in 2010, with plans to include organisaons other
than licensed energy suppliers in the bidding for
funding.
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The WorkshopsBetween 2010-2012 the Naonal Refurbishment Centre
led a consultaon across England, Wales, Scotland and
Northern Ireland to understand the industrys views about
delivering green refurbishment on a mass scale.
The consultaon began in England, with nine workshops
held in Birmingham, London, Newcastle, Manchester,
Loughborough, Bristol and Leeds. Workshops were
then held in Cardi, Glasgow and Belfast. Around 100
parcipants aended the workshops, providing valuable
insights.
Parcipants included renovaon providers, product
suppliers and manufacturers, local authories, registered
social landlords, housing associaons, universies and
government agencies.
They were asked ve quesons:
What are the drivers for reducing CO2
in exisng
buildings through refurbishment?
What opportunies do these drivers bring to you andyour sector?
What are the barriers to delivering these
opportunies?
How do we remove the barriers and deliver low
carbon buildings?
What key things should we take into account when
developing a naonal refurbishment programme?
The feedback from each of the workshops was broadlyconsistent and has therefore been compiled into a single
quesons and answer secon. The full feedback from each
of the workshops is included in the appendix on p. 31.
What are the drivers for reducing CO2 inexisng buildings through refurbishment?
Legislaon
At a naonal level, the Climate Change Act (2008) is
driving government targets and policy, with Building
Regulaons Part L and improved EPC rangs being set by
each of the devolved naons. Targets are also increasingly
being set at a local level.
Fuel poverty and energy security
Increasing fuel poverty caused by rising bills as a result of
increased global energy demand
Poor housing
Too many people live in poor quality homes causing health
and societal problems.
Economy
There is a need to smulate economic growth, including
jobs, and to reduce the cost of bills for households and
businesses. Need to create new domesc and export
markets.
Preserving character and heritage
Mistakes in the past should not be repeated in new
developments. Local heritage, character and identy,
parcularly of rural communies, needed preservaon.
Reduce embodied carbon
Replacing exisng buildings is more carbon intensive than
repair/refurbishment.
What opportunies do these drivers bring
to you and your sector?
Do the right thing
Green refurbishment is an opportunity for the
construcon industry to be part of the green economy.
Increase jobs
The refurbishment of thousands of buildings could
increase employment opportunies, for apprences,
SMEs and professionals, including architects.
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Energise the supply chain and expand markets
Expand and diversify into new markets for both exisngand new products, including innovave technologies and
processes.
Raise skills
Create enrely new, specialised skills, with a skills market
made up of partnerships between organisaons and
educaonal providers. A skills and training cercaon
scheme for refurbishment would be required, with the
introducon of new skills to ensure quality and customer
condence.
Improve buildingsExtending the lifeme of exisng buildings would
increasing both their sustainability and market values.
Improving the sense of place
An opportunity for society embrace the cultural value
of exisng building stock and vernacular architecture in
terms of improving the character of whole townscapes.
Reducing fuel bills, increasing wellbeing
Energy-ecient buildings could increase peoples
disposable income, by helping to reduce fuel bills, but
also increase their well-being. The refurbishment of coldand damp buildings would improve both the health of
occupants and their ability to work.
Improve community and regeneraon
Green refurbishment could foster more communitycooperaon such as street-by-street improvements and
district heang.
Public sector investment
Aract investment from the public sector where it might
draw benet from refurbishments. For example, the NHS
might invest in healthier buildings if it is shown that it
could save on treatment of individuals in the longer term.
Green nance
Financial services could play a role in delivering innovave
green nance, so that people could start earning moneyfrom micro-renewables and also increase their property
values.
What are the barriers to delivering theseopportunies?
Lack of leadership
There is poor leadership from government with a lack of
clear and consistent policy direcon, joined-up thinking
between government departments, or posive messages
from government to business. Planners are sll negaveand overall planning legislaon too slow-moving.
Poor regulatory frameworks
Lack of naonal refurbishment standards, or clear targets
for exisng buildings within Building Regulaons
Part L, make it harder for industry to deliver eecve
soluons or products. The actual denions of green
refurbishment and low carbon buildings were too
imprecise.
Lack of business condence
A lack of clear government backing, including nancialincenves and cauous lending from banks has caused a
lack of businesses condence or wherewithal to invest in a
green refurbishment.
Lack of a strong business case and too much risk
The business case for green refurbishment is sll weak.
The high cost of new materials and developing new
products will be prohibive for some businesses. There is
also a conict between inial capital cost and long-term
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cost, which drives out innovaon. Insucient or slow
returns on investment for manufacturers plus increasedcosts due to VAT increases. Tendering for refurbishment
projects can also be complex and costly. Pay-back mes
for most larger renewable measures is to be too long
typically seven to 10 years while some products and
processes might actually have poor CO2-saving/payback
raos.
Risk in refurbishment
Compared with new build, refurbishment carries high
risks, which are oen borne disproporonately by very
small sub-contractors.
Public take-up
Capital cost to nance energy-eciency measures is a
challenge on householder and business budgets.
Lack of skills and knowledge
There remains a shortage of skills, and a lack of readiness
of naonal and local supply chains to deliver innovave
refurbishment. Many small building contractors have
limited innovave product knowledge or best pracce
experience. Builders oen lack the condence to sell new
technologies, and customers oen distrust their ability to
do a good job. Training oen focuses on whether the job is
being carried out properly, rather than whether the right
job is being carried out in the rst place.
Unwillingness to change
Construcon industry is oen resistant to change, and
businesses are unwilling to give up compeve advantage.
Local refurbishment markets may be too fragmented to
enable change; small building contractors unwilling to
oversell their services in a highly compeve market.
Public do not understand the benets, and are afraid of
the cost and disrupon.
No clear communicaon or guidance
Lack of skills, knowledge and engagement was due toa corresponding lack of clear, consistent informaon.Homeowners, social and private landlords and buildingprofessionals are a disparate audience and exisnginformaon is oen conicng. The lack of authoritavepracce guides hinders the industry in delivering greenrefurbishment soluons and that the lack of clearcommunicaon prevents the mobilisaon of the wider
public.
Complex delivery
There are addional costs and disrupon associated withrefurbishment projects, such as decanng residents can
account for half the cost of social housing refurbishment,
ill-planned refurbishment to oces can severely disrupt
business. The levels of people, resources and mescales
associated with large-scale refurbishments remain unclear.
Complexity of green refurbishment
Householders put o by the expense and disrupon of
refurbishing a whole house and daunted by possible
soluons. Previously unknown structural problems, and
other hidden horrors such as asbestos and dry rot, couldalso complicate esmaon of costs.
New technology
The route to market is too oen delayed by the
accreditaon process, and that the industry can be slow in
adopng new products. End-users may also be put o by
the real or perceived complexity of new technologies, and
use it either incorrectly or not at all thus not gaining the
benets.
How do we remove the barriers and deliver
low carbon buildings?
Stronger leadership
Greater clarity of purpose and strategic thinking from
government and beer co-ordinaon between public
bodies. The government should set out a roadmap for
new policies and roadmaps with a minimum mescale and
legislaon fast-tracked. All stakeholder groups need to be
more pro-acve about inuencing government thinking
and policy development, as well as developing standards.
Beer regulaons and standardsClear thermal standards should be developed. Building
Regulaons should be developed to make green
refurbishment the norm, with cercaon for quality-
accredited buildings. In general there should be more
stringent and enforceable law, including compliance with
Part L, and ghter regulaon on what manufacturers can
claim. Tough nancial penales should be created for not
meeng targets.
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Create clearer routes to funding
In addion to FiTs and RHI, building owners should benetfrom other incenves such as reduced VAT, stamp duty
council tax rebates linked directly with EPCs. Other funding
proposals included interest-free loans with long pay-back
periods, loans that are paid back on the sale of the home,
lower-rate green mortgages, and extending the boiler
scrappage scheme. In general there is requirement for
clearer direcon from funding bodies and for funds
to be ring-fenced.
Improve delivery
Create economies of scale through community
partnerships and partnerships between housingassociaons for street-by-street programmes. Be
pragmac, acknowledging that dierent schemes and
buildings, need dierent soluons with dierent results.
Councils should facilitate a volume refurbishment as
they understand the local building stock. More public
buildings could become refurbishment exemplars, with
more co-ordinaon of the dierent projects. Research
and development into delivery processes will help volume
refurbishments.
Provide beer training
A beer spread of green skills training across the countryto give local workforce the appropriate skills. There should
be mass-skills training with more collaborave working
between dierent trades. Funding should be priorised
towards providers that up-skill exisng trades. Specialist,
refurbishment-related skills accreditaon would give
condence to consumers. Sustainable refurbishment
should be embedded in the connuing professional
development (CPD) of building professionals, especially
architects. The prole of building engineers, who
specialise in building technology, urgently needs to be
raised so that more young people will consider it as a
career.
Create a stable market environment
More stability to deliver mass retrot, with a beer-
integrated supply chain to drive down costs, and
industrialised soluons developed to deliver at scale.
Delivery could be enhanced by replacing individual
consultants and contractors with more integrated
soluon providers. Manufacturers want a clear brief of
the soluons needed to develop the right products, and a
payback incenve to get 50% of savings. Project insurance
would help to overcome risk transfer, while demand from
local authories, housing associaons and ALMOs shouldbe consolidated to create an inial mass-market.
Simplify and improve soluons
Develop more products that are easy to use and dont
require specialist skills to install. Create plug and play
soluons to remove complexity and disrupon. Focus on
the 20% of measures that achieve 80% of CO2
savings.
Architects should incorporate viable products in their
designs. Surveyors should give homeowners independent
advice about specic soluons, and phased refurbishment.
Local authories could present local communies with
opmum external wall insulaon soluons, in partnership
with providers, for street-by-street installaons. This
would help spread costs, and would help with dierences
in zoning, u-values and possible infringements of party
wall legislaon that can arise when individuals undertake
their own insulaon projects.
Building consumer condence
Trade associaons have a key role to play in raising
consumer condence. Trusted contractor schemes or
installer networks, endorsed by trade bodies, could
include site visits. Other independent inspecon and
quality control mechanisms could also be developed, with
insurance-backed guarantees and warrantees
to further strengthen condence.
Increase knowledge transfer and awareness
Beer co-ordinaon of refurbishment demonstraon
projects carrying out valuable work so lessons reach a
wider audience. More informaon about the benets of
each technology for the end user to help idenfy robust
mass retrot soluons. An awareness drive aimed at
local authories, from chief execuves to building control
ocers.
Changing behaviour
Energy-ecient buildings need to be promoted at every
level, from schools to the mass media. Lessons could be
learned from success of the double glazing sector, which
engaged the public and created a market demand that
changed consumer behaviour. Educate occupants so that
technologies properly and not abandoned.
More eecve communicaon
Messages about the benets of green refurbishment
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need to be stronger, with an emphasis on reduced
energy bills. Informaon needs to t audience needs,with communicaon campaigns for homeowners, private
and social housing landlords, business and building
professionals. Free, imparal advice should be easily
accessible from local authories and independent bodies,
and demonstraon project case studies more widely
disseminated. Provide comparison-based informaon
through DIY retailers and builders merchants and help tap
into tradional trigger points.
What key things should be taken into account
when developing the naonal refurbishment
strategy?
A joined-up approach
A more coordinated and collaborave approach to
refurbishment, with more dened goals and a clearer
understanding of desired outcomes. Develop a
collaborave mul-disciplinary network to understand the
soluons and regional approaches. Joined-up thinking will
to nd naonal and regional soluons to skills and training
and other areas that threaten a successful naonal
refurbishment drive.
Knowledge and evidence
Refurbishment guidance and advice should be based on
robust evidence. There needs to be a central source for
performance data from dierent demonstraon projects
around the country. This will allow the sector to see which
products and soluons work, how best they should be
used and any risks associated with their use. This will
enable reliable informaon such as best pracce guides to
be produced, manufacturers to idenfy possible gaps in
the market, and industry to develop praccal codes.
Shape government policyGovernment should be encouraged to develop clear
and consistent legislaon, regulaon, standards and
incenves, with strong cross party support. Then
encourage government to sck to policy.
Standards and codes
Clear standards for refurbishment, building on proven
naonal standards such BREEAM, which recognises that
there is not a one-size-ts-all approach to green retrot,
and can be adapted further based on market need.
Standard soluons developed for individual elements,with rangs for dierent products and systems.
Eecve delivery soluons
Public and private partnerships, with access to reliable
suppliers and installers should be encouraged. Targets for
delivery should be dened, with achievable milestones.
Local authories, housing associaons and ALMOs
should lead street-by-street refurbishment iniaves to
reduce costs and ensure consistency.
Improved skills and accreditaon
Raise the skill levels, parcularly for smaller buildingcontractors. There needs to be a co-ordinated
approach, creang links with training providers at all
levels to increase the skills capacity needed to deliver
innovave soluons. There is a role for trade bodies to
give accreditaon to contractors and ensure that work
is carried out properly. This will improve consumer
condence.
A local focus
A recognion of dierences between regions and
devolved naons. Regulaons and standards should reect
this and soluons should be based on local building typesand materials, as well as local character. There should be
a reliance on local contractors to deliver work whenever
possible. Local networks should be used to introduce
change, mobilise businesses and leverage funding.
Praccal and achievable soluons
Focus on relavely simple quick-wins such as cavity wall
insulaon. Easy-to-use, low-tech soluons should be
promoted to end-users, and a project-by-project approach
to refurbishment advocated to consumers put o by the
cost of the whole-house approach.
Improved funding streams
Clearer funding mechanisms and incenves need toimprove the case for companies and housholders toinvest in R&D and energy-ecient soluons. These couldbe linked to incenves such as reduced VAT and reducedcouncil tax or stamp duty. There is also scope to bringenergy providers and personal nance together and to
invesgate opportunies for gear funding.
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Eecve communicaon and engagement
Beer engagement with the supply chain and consumersabout the benets of green refurbishment. More praccal,
step-by-step processes and product guides, available
at point-of-sale outlets to increase knowledge and
condence. Communicaon should be targeted to t
the dierent audiences, with the emphasis on nancial
benets and comfort rather than climate change.
Consumers should be told about what they can do to
improve their buildings with lile or no money. Good
examples of refurbishment should be used to excite the
publics imaginaon.
Conclusion
Since parcipants at the 2010 workshops raised concerns
about the lack of clear leadership training and funding,
green refurbishment has become xed item on the
energy-eciency agenda of both policymakers and
business. In the past two years the government has
launched its tari schemes and is implemenng its
Green Deal loan iniave in all the devolved naons bar
Northern Ireland. More specialised training courses are
now being oered for trades and retrot has even started
reaching the pages of the naonal press.
Nevertheless, the concerns and aspiraons expressed in
all the workshops remain valid and are broadly consistent
throughout the devolved naons. Chief among these is
sll the desire for a more co-ordinated approach within
industry; beer access to useful data about the soluons
that work for dierent building types and more up-skilling
of the workforce.
And despite an increased focus on green refurbishment
by government, there sll remains a concern about a lack
of leadership in terms of the creaon of standards; driving
forward greater public understanding and engagementwith energy-eciency; and creang incenves for people
to invest in soluons and industry to invest in R&D.
Delivering refurbishment on a naonal scale
Parcipants in all the workshops had a clear idea of what
would help a naonal delivery of refurbishment. Crical
to ecient delivery, is sll the need for data about what
energy-eciency measures actually work for dierent
building types in dierent in dierent parts of the UK.
There is sll a desire for a single place where reliable
performance data can be accessed to inform investmentdecisions.
There is also a desire for refurbishment standards to be
developed, including a refurbishment equivalent of the
Code for Sustainable Homes and creang beer links
between industry and training providers to increase the
skills capacity needed to deliver innovave soluons in
occupied property.
Above all there is a strong recognion among parcipants
in all the workshops that industry needs to grasp the easy
wins such as cavity wall insulaon rst, in order to meet
the targets. This pragmasm extends to a recognion thateasy-to-use and easy-to-install soluons will provide the
greatest inial gains.
Parcipants in all the workshops understood the
challenges presented by a lack of nance and strained
household budgets. Incenvising people to invest in
energy eciency whether through tax rebates, lower
VAT, aracve loans is seen as crical to kick-starng
the market, which might in turn create a stronger
business case for companies to invest me and money to
developing new soluons.
However, underpinning all this is a need to beer
communicate the benets of making buildings more
energy-ecient as a business opportunity for contractors
and as a way to reduce bills and emissions for occupiers.
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Naonal Refurbishment Centre
Supporng a joined-up approach backed up by robust
performance data and strengthened by collaborave praccal
problem-solving.
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Our acvies
The Naonal Refurbishment Centre (NRC) is a joint
iniave between BRE, the Energy Saving Trust andpartners to provide evidence and knowledge that supports
the mass delivery of green refurbishment.
The NRC is providing this evidence through a naonal
demonstraon network of over 500 refurbishment
exemplars, one of the largest of its kind in the UK. The
analysis of the data aims to provide crical insight for both
industry and government in the areas of refurbishment
soluons and skills.
To foster knowledge sharing, the NRC is also building up
an online library of best pracce guides and resources on
all aspects of green refurbishment and retrot, as well asproviding informaon on events and seminars.
A partnership organisationThe Naonal Refurbishment Centre is aimed at industry,
driven by industry and funded by industry. Its partners
represent a cross-secon of industry and include
manufacturers, energy providers, main contractors,
housing associaons, professional organisaons, research
bodies, training providers and retailers. It is a highly
collaborave organisaon, with the partners aending
quarterly steering group meengs led by an independent
chairman.
The leading partners are BRE and the Energy Saving
Trust. The two organisaons have a well-established
history of working together, with complementary skills
and experse. They both have a UK-wide delivery
infrastructure and leading data and knowledge insight,
with robust accreditaon and performance monitoring
protocols.
Gathering the evidenceThe Naonal Refurbishment Centres primary goal isto help support a step-change in the naonal delivery
of sustainable refurbishment by providing industry
stakeholders with data driven energy-eciency measures.
When the Department of Environment and Climate
Change called for evidence to help it develop the Green
Deal proposal, the NRC provided it with data from over
500 refurbishment exemplar projects. The informaon
included the age and details of house-types, key
Our goals
Provide the data needed by industry to make
evidence-based decisions and aid policy
development.
Act as a forum for the industry to set the
refurbishment agenda and support delivery.
Support R&D and oer clear routes to market
for private-sector partners for innovaon, new
materials and technologies.
Act as a one-stop-shop for those seeking
sustainable refurbishment soluons, providing
them with data, guides, and advice.
Disseminate naonal best pracce and
standardised design soluons.
Inform the training and skills sector for
development of small and medium sized
building contractors who are the backbone of
the refurbishment sector.
To foster collaboraon in a compeve
industry.
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refurbishment measures, cost of intervenons, overall
energy performance data and lessons learned.
This kind of informaon is being made available to the
public and the NRC is also able to overlay addional
sources of informaon to carry out deeper analysis of the
data to really understand the true eciencies and costs of
dierent energy-eciency measures where required.
Benets from gathering data
A study into soluons and skills, using data from the
Refurbishment Portal and elsewhere, highlights the
importance of having a large data-set to draw upon.
When the Refurbishment Portal was rst launched in June
2011, the cost of achieving an 80% reducon in CO2
was
esmated to be around 36,000 for a home. The study
found that while economies of scale are expected to
reduce costs in the long term, the lack of readiness of the
supply chain and the workforce to deliver refurbishment
could mean the costs of these works actually goes up. This
understanding will help inform industry of the need to tool
up for large scale delivery, and provide the correct skills to
deliver.
Reviewing BREs Victorian Terrace refurbishment project,
the study also gained valuable insights into where wastage
of me and materials can occur. It revealed, for example,
that 15% of all man-hours spent on the refurbishment of
the hard-to-treat building, was found to have no added
value.
Using BREs site eciency tool CALIBRE, the amount of
me spent on dierent acvies could be accurately
broken down to nd ways of improving eciencies in the
refurbishment process. While a lot of site me was spent
making repairs to the structure and ng insulaon, a
great deal of me was also spent non-producvely on
changes to the specicaon and delays through receiving
non-FSC mber and poor buildability of products to suit arefurbishment environment.
Lessons learned from projects such as these will mean
ensuring the provenance of supplies, and developing rapid
retrot measures will reduce me and materials needed
to complete the work.
Raising awarenessThe NRC regularly speaks at seminars, workshopsand conferences to raise awareness of issues around
sustainable refurbishment and retrot. At Ecobuild 2012,
for example, representaves chaired panel discussion
seminars on refurbishing hard-to-treat homes, smart
metering and the importance of sharing best pracce.
It has also been featured in The Daily Telegraph, and
contributed arcles for the trade press and journals,
including RICS Residenal Property Journal.
Hosng events
Among the dierent workshops and events that theNRC has been involved with, is the annual INSITE event,
which in 2011 focused on retrot and which the Naonal
Refurbishment Centre sponsored. A key desnaon was
the Reality Zone exhibion, which featured refurbishment
case studies from its Naonal Refurbishment Centre
partners. The exhibion also included brieng sessions on
dierent retrot issues, including briengs on the Green
Deal, trigger points for domesc refurbishments and
sustainable oce refurbishments.
The Refurbishment Portal is a searchable database, allowing
users to search for refurbishment case studies. Each case
study includes an overview project descripon, with details of
measures and performance data. It is available to all via
www.rethinkingrefurbishment.com.
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Invest in Innovave Refurbishment
The NRC also co-hosted a workshop with the ModernBuilt Environment Knowledge Transfer Network ahead
of the Technology Strategy Boards Invest in Innovave
refurbishment compeon in April 2012. Architects,
suppliers, installers, universies and others members of
the retrot community were able to learn more about
the government compeon and network ahead of the
10M three-year government-funded compeon for
the non-domesc market. The day-long event featured a
programme of presentaons from the Department of the
Environment, the Technology Strategy Board, Arup and
the Modern Built Environment KTN.
A voice for industryThe NRC provides a useful plaorm for industry
stakeholders to connect with government. In January
2012, for example, Naonal Refurbishment Centre
partners met with a representave of the Department of
Environment & Climate Change (DECC) team developing
the Green Deal. During a round table workshop,
DECC claried parcular elements of the Green Deal
consultaon document and partners idened risks,
barriers and opportunies, and provided evidence for a
need for an area based approach to carbon reducons.
What next?
This report has aempted to describe the refurbishment
challenge and opportunies for the UK. With the
excepon of Northern Ireland, the introducon of the
Green Deal nance scheme represents a crical moment if
we are to meet the challenges set out at an internaonal
level with regard to our exisng building stock.
But it must be remembered that building maintenance
and refurbishment has always represented a mul-billion
pound segment of the construcon sector. The NRC will
connue to respond to the needs of the sector idened
in our extensive consultaon and relaonship with ourpartners.
Our core acvies going forward will be to:
maintain our work gathering the data and
intelligence that industry needs.
develop and deliver collaborave research relevant
to the needs of the sector.
foster coordinated and collaborave work on green
refurbishment.
For more informaon about NRC acvies and to
use the Refurbishment Portal go to:
www.rethinkingrefurbishment.com
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Appendix
Feedback from the England, Wales, Scotland and
Northern Ireland workshops.
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England WorkshopsIn 2010 nine workshops held in in Birmingham, London,Newcastle, Manchester, Loughborough, Bristol and Leeds,
collecng the views of more than 30 professionals.
What are the drivers for reducing CO2
in
exisng buildings through refurbishment?
Regulaon/ Legislaon
Major government iniaves such as the Green Deal,
guided by the Climate Change Act (2008).
To a lesser extent, Building Regulaons Part L and
improving EPC rangs as part of the EUs Energy
Performance of Buildings Direcve.
Locally-focused targets, such Naonal Indicator NI 186
(CO2
emissions reducon in Local Authority areas), and
locally-derived targets.
Eradicang fuel poverty, improving health
Tackle fuel poverty among vulnerable secons of
society.
Make buildings healthier places to live to reduce costs
to the NHS and wider public sector.
Meeng expectaons for a higher living standards
People need comfortable yet aordable homes, and
exisng buildings need to be refurbished because they
are unlikely to be replaced.
Economic factors
Fuel bills are rising and poverty becoming more
widespread because of increased worldwide energy
demand.
Need to grow economy by boosng technological
innovaon, creang jobs and supply chains for new UK
and overseas markets.
What opportunies do these drivers bringto you and your sector?
Doing the right thing
An opportunity for the construcon industry to be
seen as a force for good, oering companies the
chance to become part of the new green economy.
Improving buildings
Extending the lifeme of exisng buildings and
increasing both their sustainability and market values.
Improving the sense of place
Embrace the cultural value of exisng building stock
as there are opportunies to improve the character of
whole townscapes, with benecial impacts for all.
Reducing fuel bills, increasing wellbeing
Increase peoples disposable income by helping to
reduce fuel bills, while increasing well-being.
Improve both the health of occupants and their ability
to work by refurbishing cold and damp buildings.
Expand markets
Expand markets for exisng products.
Create and expand markets for innovave new
technologies and processes with uptake fuelling
further innovaon in a virtuous circle.
Increase job prospects
Increase employment opportunies in the
construcon industry and create enrely new skills by
refurbishing thousands of buildings every year.
Raise skills
Create a new skills market, where organisaons
partner with educaonal providers to develop
qualicaons that enable SME builders to benet from
market growth.
Skills and training cercaon scheme for
refurbishment to ensure quality/customer condence.
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Public sector investment
Aract investment from the wider public sector
where it might draw benet from refurbishments. For
example, NHS could invest in healthier buildings if it is
shown that they can expect to save on treatment of
individuals in the longer term.
Green nance
Inuence government funding mechanisms such as
FiTS and the Renewable Heat Incenve (RHI).
Financial services deliver innovave green nance, so
that people earn money from micro-renewables and
increase property values.
What are the barriers to delivering these
opportunies?
Reduced government funding
Private sector must ll the gap le by a strained public
purse but many businesses lack condence to invest
without clear government backing and support from
banks,.
Government incenves are insucient routes to the
funding remain unclear.
Poor regulatory frameworks
Leadership by government is weak.
A lack of naonal refurbishment standards or
clear targets for exisng buildings within Building
Regulaons Part L make it harder for industry to
deliver eecve soluons.
The denions of green refurbishment and low
carbon buildings are too imprecise.
Lack of skills and knowledge
Skills shortage and the unpreparedness of naonal
and local supply chains to deliver innovave
refurbishment.
Builders lack the condence to sell new technologies
and homeowners oen distrust their ability to do a
good job.
Training tends to focus on whether the job is being
carried out properly rather than whether the right jobis being carried out in the rst place.
Unwillingness to change
Parts of construcon industry is resistant to change
and businesses unwilling to give up potenal
compeve advantage.
Local refurbishment markets may currently be too
fragmented to enable change and small building
contractors may be unwilling to oversell their services
in a highly compeve market.
Lack of awareness and buy-in from domesc and
c