RefurbN16

Tag: Windows

  • Sustainable Refurbishment – Towards an 80% Reduction in CO2 Emissions

    The UK’s building regulations didn’t start to consider energy consumption until the 1960s, when very basic requirements to conserve energy were placed on house builders. These requirements have slowly been tightened over the decades and the introduction of the Code for Sustainable Homes has accelerated this in recent years.

    The intention is that new build homes built from 2016 will be zero carbon (although the exact definition of ‘zero carbon’ in this case is still up for grabs). The problem is that the UK’s housing stock is the oldest in the developed world, with 8.5 million properties over 60 years old and an estimated 24 million homes built up to 2016 expected to still exist in 2050.

    Zero carbon new build homes are definitely needed so that new homes don’t add to emissions, but all of the carbon reductions will have to happen in homes that have already been built.

    In the previous post we looked generally at a whole house approach to sustainable refurbishment. The Energy Saving Trust has recently published an interesting new publication which looks at this in more detail and points the way towards an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions in existing homes. This guide is aimed at homeowners as well as housing developers and builders and is clearly written and nicely presented.

    It gives an excellent overview of the energy efficiency measures that can be implemented in the UK’s homes including the different types of wall, roof and floor insulation, improving windows and doors, increasing air tightness as well as efficient heating and hot water systems and lighting and appliances. Also covered are microgeneration, water efficiency, waste and recycling and even climate change adaptation.

    If you want to get a good picture of what needs to be done to our homes, then this is a good starting point. Hopefully it will stimulate you to consider which of these measures can be applied in your home.

    The Energy Saving Trust has lots of interesting technical guidance. More information can be found here.

  • First Stoke Newington Draught Busting Saturday

    This weekend we had our first Draught Busting Saturday in Stoke Newington. This hands-on workshop was pioneered by Hyde Farm CAN and has been picked up by Peckham Power and Transition Belsize amongst others and we thought it was about time we gave it a go.

    Draught Busting workshops are held in a local house in need of improvement. Stoke Newington resident Cath very kindly let us loose with hammers in her home and expertly facilitated the group as we got stuck in to  the job.

    The session focused on fitting draught stripping around the lower half of the sash windows and around doors but we also touched on blocking up chimneys (Cath had gone for a DIY solution of a plastic bag stuffed with material), radiator panels (which are fixed behind radiators mounted on external, heat loss walls), and ensuring that loft hatches are well draught proofed to stop warm air rising up into the loft space.

    Draught proofing the upper half of a sash window requires a ladder so that you can get up to the outside of the window frame (you can’t do the upper half of a window from the inside as you wouldn’t be able to open the window).

    Just doing the lower half of the window will cut out a substantial amount of the air passing through and cutting out those lower level cold draughts will have a noticeable effect on your comfort. The upper half of the windows can be a project for the future – perhaps we could secure a ladder for a weekend and go round all of the houses that have done the work to the inside in one go.

    Draught proofing is a very easy skill to pick up but there isn’t a great deal of practical information out there about the materials and techniques and so it can seem daunting – until you’re shown how easy it is to do, that is. The people who attended the session will now be in a position to share the knowledge with family and friends.

    After the success of the first session, we’ll be looking to roll this out on a larger scale in time for the next heating season, around September and October.

    If you’re interested in participating then please drop us a line. In particular we are after people living in homes in need of draught proofing who would be willing to host a session in Autumn.

    We’ll also be placing a bulk purchase for draught proofing materials so as to make this measure as cheap as possible and so that it pays for itself as quickly as possible.

  • Secondary Glazing Pt 1

    Many of the homes in Stoke Newington have single glazed sash windows. These leak heat very readily, both directly through the single pane of glass and through gaps around the frame.

    Double, or even triple glazing is the most effective solution to this problem. The multiple panes of glass are separated by a sealed gap filled with air or a dense gas such as argon. By completely sealing this gas you get very little movement and this reduces heat transfer.

    Air is a very good insulator, as long as it isn’t allowed to move too much, because it is a poor conductor of heat. If it moves, it will transfer heat across a gap through convection. This is exactly how a wooly jumper keeps you warm – the fibres keep pockets of air stationary, keeping the heat in. Argon works even better because it is denser than air and movement is further reduced.

    While multiple glazing is the most effective solution (and one we’ll go into in more detail), it’s also a pricey solution and if you live in a conservation area, it may not be an option open to you.

    A cheaper solution, and one that doesn’t change the outside of your home, is secondary glazing. This is not as effective as multiple glazing but it does make a substantial difference. By fitting an additional pane of glass or perspex on the inside of your window you save energy in two ways: you cut out the draughts coming in around the frame and the additional pane of glass traps a layer of air that acts as an insulator.

    Secondary glazing is often removable, so you can fit it during winter and remove it during the summer. Other types are fixed permanently, opening like the window they are covering.

    In part 2 we’ll take a more detailed look at different types of secondary glazing, but before I go, here’s something I haven’t seen before: DIY magnetic secondary glazing. You get a reel of steel tape and a reel of magnetic tape, each with adhesive on the back. You fix the steel tape to the window and the magnetic tape to some perspex.

    Does anyone have any experience of this? Seems like it might just work… Would the strips look odd? Maybe if they made the strips white they could merge quite nicely with your window frames.

  • Improving Traditional Windows

    English Heritage has published some interesting research looking at improving the energy performance of existing, traditional windows as an alternative to replacement.

    Unless you live in a conservation area or live in a listed building, under the Building Regulations replacement windows have to be double or triple glazed. The look of modern windows is, for the most part, very different to old windows and many consider them to adversely affect the aesthetics of older homes. For many people the cost of replacement windows is also prohibitively high so this research is also useful for them.

    Timber frame sash windows with double or triple glazing are available and there are designs which get pretty close to the sorts of windows you see around Stoke Newington.

    Luckily there’s a lot you can do to improve your existing windows and reduce heat loss. It won’t save as much as installing proper high performance multiple glazed windows, but through a combination of simple measures such as thermally lined curtains, improved draught proofing and secondary glazing, you can make substantial savings without spending lots of money.

    You can read the full report here or there is an executive summary here.