Channel 4’s Guy Martin’s House Without Bills (available on catch-up now) asks a question that every older-home owner wants to know the answer to - how can we make our heritage homes warmer, greener and more energy-efficient without breaking the bank?
The documentary follows the transformation of a Stretford semi into a low-energy, comfortable house (refurbished to a EnerPHit Passivhaus standard) that’s resilient to rising energy costs.
Achieving that level of performance, however, in this case, involved a deep retrofit. The property was stripped back to its structure and rebuilt with high levels of insulation, triple-glazed windows and a strong focus on airtightness.
We’re aware that this approach isn't always realistic for most households due to cost and disruption. However, that doesn’t mean the average homeowner can’t make a difference.
You can make significant progress towards lower bills and reduced carbon emissions with smaller, more affordable steps such as improving insulation, tackling draughts and upgrading heating and controls. All of this, of course, needs to be guided by a good understanding of how a home actually performs.
The Stretford house shares many similar characteristics with our Letchworth Interactive Retrofit House, an online resource created for Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation. This resource provides guidance on a wide range of retrofit measures, including costs, complexity, and how each measure relates to Letchworth’s design principles and wider sustainability considerations.
The resource is designed to help you focus on quick wins as well as sensible, longer-term upgrades that work with your home’s character and within your household budget.
The Guy Martin house was a great example of retrofit done well, but it’s important to remember that retrofit does not have to be an all-or-nothing journey. For most households, the most effective route is to make gradual, evidence-based improvements, prioritising the building fabric and seeking reputable advice.
What next?
If you’re keen to make changes to your house:
- Develop a clearer picture of how your whole house performs before you start anything
- Go for the quick wins first (improving insulation, tackling draughts, etc)
- Think about a step-by-step approach rather than doing everything at once
- Seek advice from a specialist
Get in touch with us to find out more.