Building resources

Quick Bites

Buildings represent 40% of our energy use and 20% of our carbon emissions. We want to demystify this very important topic and connect people with practical ideas and experiences.

  1. “Whole House Retrofit”, CAT is an introduction by the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), which has been a pioneer, based in Wales, since the 1970s.

  2. “Renewable Technologies: Facts, Fiction and Current Developments” counters a number of myths about domestic solar and heat pumps. It is based on a well received talk by Chris Wilde on 5th September 2019 at The Arkell Centre in Nailsworth, hosted by NailsworthCAN, which was attended by local politicians and councillors, as well as a number of people with expertise in the district.

  3. “Retrofitting the future: how can we make ‘Zero carbon ready’ homes?”, Jonathan Atkinson, Carbon Co-op, 4th July 2020 is short video from the Climate Citizens Assembly explaining why community-led action on retrofit is so important

  4. “Energy Saving Retrofits”, 2nd July 2020. learn a little of how to do retrofit from the Centre for Alternative Technology.

Deeper Dives

There remains a lot of misunderstanding about how we get off gas and move to low carbon homes - well insulated and warmed by heat pumps. For those with more questions, hopefully the following will provide answers.

  1. “Is the UK up to the task of retrofitting homes to zero-carbon standards?”, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), 23rd October 2019. Here you can read an opinion piece highlighting the retrofit challenge facing and some good practice from the Dutch ‘Energy Leap’ programme

  2. "Heat pumps - Learning and experiences from Ireland", Paul Kenny, Tipperary Energy Agency (Carbon Co-op Webinar), June , 2020 For those still unsure about air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) here is a talk and Q&A by Paul Kenny on a trial of 250 homes in Ireland that kept householders warm, even in a -6⁰C hard winter spell - he dispels many myths about ASHPs

  3. Carbon Coop Webinar Programme in addition to the above webinar, Carbon Coop have a whole programme covering a wide range of topics, highlighting practical projects and experiences by trades people with expertise and householders.

  4. “WHAT DOES IT COST TO RETROFIT HOMES? Updating the Cost Assumptions for BEIS’s Energy Efficiency Modelling”, Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, 2017. Here is a report from the BEIS (Business Energy and Industrial Strategy) Department on the estimated costs to complete retrofits

  5. The Association for Environment Conscious Building (AECB), in addition to providing a wealth of training, also have a Knowledgebase that includes resources on a wide range of topics.