Energy Efficiency and Listed Buildings - Essay Example

Energy efficiency and listed buildings Table of Contents Energy efficiency and listed buildings 1 Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Buildings in conservation areas 4 Scheduled monuments 5 Extensions to existing buildings 6 Issues that warrant sympathetic treatment 6 Obtaining other consents 6 Traditional buildings and energy conservation 7 Insulation 8 Insulating walls 9 Insulating below pitched roofs 9 Ground floor insulation 10 Removing present insulation 10 Photovoltaic and traditional buildings 10 Maintenance 12 Case study 12 Reference 13 Introduction Building Regulations have set requirement that allows buildings for achieving minimum level of performance which is acceptable. In this specifically deals with safety, health, accessibility and energy performance. The regulation applies to the current building work; they are general requirements for upgrading existing buildings for meeting the standards set. Major of the requirement of energy efficiency is the Building Regulations for the power and fuel efficiency (English Heritage, 2008a). Building Regulation provides information about listed buildings that are exempted from the requirement of energy efficiency. This should be something that cannot be changed and the appearance and character does not change as well. The intention of the part is to regulate the exemption work and for improving energy efficiency (English Heritage, 2008a). In case the building puts up the standard method for complying with the requirements of energy efficiency or building control bodies would be able to suggest some alternative methods for improving energy that would be able to alter the building's character and the appearance. The control bodies of the building can discuss the plan with the owner or any local authority that are responsible for conservation. They should be able to provide methods for improving the efficiency of the listed building and are able to assist in the long term conservation of the building. At last the final decision to see if this is acceptable would be vested with the local planning authority (English Heritage, 2008a). Buildings in conservation areas Building Regulation opines that all buildings in the area of conservation are exempted from taking special effort for becoming energy efficient. It states that the requirement of the building where the compliance meet with energy efficiency would not be altered in any character or even appearance while being in the conservation area. It is considered to be varied against the requirements of planning law which is focused on conservation areas that requires some consideration if it impacts the proposed development on any appearance on the area (English Heritage, 2008a). The external work in conservation areas requires permission; this may be required from the local planning authorities that may consider the impact on the character or even the appearance of the area. In case the authorities in the local area impose conditions which may limit work for improving energy efficiency, bodies for building control do not have any authority to work on such things. As an example, in case the planning gives permission for an extension, the condition that the windows should match the glazed windows in the host building and the new windows are exempted from the requirements, they would have to abide by it. Other situation may require the body to determine if work has been exempted from requirements of energy efficiency (English Heritage, 2008b). Some of the work for improving energy efficiency for the non-listed buildings in any conservative area would not require any planning permission, in specifics if it is confined to interiors. Although, incase such a work requires any negative impact on the appearance or character of the buildings it might be exempted from even Part L (English Heritage, 2008b). Some of the other tasks that require permission for planning can be approved as this works might not affect the appearance or character of the area, but this might certainly affect appearance or character of the building, this can be adding cladding to any rear elevation etc. Works like this can be exempted from Part L. In situations like this, the building control body will be required for applying the criterion for setting out some of the Planning Policy Statement 5 (PPS 5) and understand the listed building applications. The building control can turn to conservation specialists for working with the local planning authorities for advising on a particular proposed works for complying with Part L for unacceptably altering the appearance and character of building like this (English Heritage, 2008b). Scheduled monuments With the revision introduced in 2006, scheduled monuments are completely exempted from the Building Regulations. This revision in the Building Regulation 21(3) provides the energy efficiency requirements of the Building Regulations which has to be complied and should be unacceptably for altering the appearance or character. The consent from Secretary of State, with the advice of English Heritage may be required for maximum works that can involve any alterations or any additions for the scheduled monuments which may include design for improving the energy efficiency. In practical terms the vast majority of the scheduled monuments does not have any complete walls or roofs and do not energy for cooling or heating. Although, most of them only lit at night and gives opportunity for reducing energy consumption by using more efficient way for lighting. The Approved Documents L1B and L2B lists the three classes of buildings where some of the special considerations can be applied for making reasonable provision for conserving power and fuel. These are locally listed buildings or buildings in some of the national parks or even in the historic areas and traditional buildings. As per the Approved Documents, the undertaking work which is in connection with the building which falls within one class that is listed, the aim should have been to improve energy efficiency as it can be reasonably practical. Work should never be prejudiced by any character which can increase the risk of deterioration of the building or any fittings. Extensions to existing buildings A new building or any extension should always fully with requirements of energy efficiency. Although, the efficiency requirements shouldn’t be applied beyond the point by which it would be unacceptable (English Heritage, 2002). Issues that warrant sympathetic treatment These Approved Documents mentions certain categories of work which can be for historic buildings which may worsen the energy efficiency but are either ways acceptable under the Building Regulations. They are restoration of historic character of building which is subjected to any previous inappropriate alteration that may be replacing windows, roof lights and doors. Rebuilding any former building i.e. may be following a fire norm or even filling a gap on a terrace. It may be making provisions to enable the fabric of the historic buildings for breathing; it may be moisture and then avoiding it against any other decaying issues (English Heritage, 2002). Obtaining other consents In case one wants to make any changes for improving the efficiency as far as energy efficient is concerned for a listed building or a conservative site or area, they need to first check with local planning authority for seeking any clarifications, if required. These alterations may be required to affect internal or the external appearance or character that can include materials, finishing and may require consent (English Heritage, 2008a). The local planning authority for conservation can advise on the balance between the historic building conservation and with the energy efficiency for the historic buildings. The building control bodies should seek advice from the local planning authorities for explaining the historical significance of the building or any feature for helping them with the decision of whether it would improve the energy efficiency of the building without altering its character or appearance. The controlling bodies should be able to advice on the proposed measures that can affect the performance of the content or fabric of these building which are traditional (English Heritage, 2008b). Some of the huge or large traditional buildings may not be listed or situated in any particular area. Some of them may not have the feature of being a historic structure. It would mean that the adaptation for improving the energy efficiency may need to be taken keeping in mind the traditional performance of the building and its fabric and also its compatibility with the new materials which is being proposed or thought about (English Heritage, 2008b). Traditional buildings and energy conservation While considering the steps for improvements thee conservation it becomes important for remembering that these traditional or historic buildings can perform in a different way than the modern buildings. Some of the things that should be kept in mind are any home construction that can cause damage, the importance of the moisture movement in the building which is historic. It should be able to minimize the disturbance to the present fabric (English Heritage, 2008b). In order to make the construction of new homes energy efficient and sustainable, several national voluntary standards are being set by the Code for Sustainable Homes. In order to tighten the energy efficiency standards of the Building Regulation, the Zero Carbon Homes initiative set a zero carbon target by 2016. The Planning Policy Statement: Planning for Climate Change: Supplement to Planning Policy Statement 1(CLG, 2007) provides various guidelines on how to construct or renovate houses to make them energy efficient and reduce carbon emissions. However, while installing any renewable equipment it is also required to balance the impact of such installations on the historic or traditional property and compare the impact against the contribution of the property in reducing its carbon footprint. As equipments that are badly positioned or are not compatible to the property, may result in diminishing the appeal of the building as well as increase the danger of damaging the structure (English Heritage, 2008c). Insulation In traditional buildings, materials based on natural fiber like hemp fiber and sheep’s wool may be used for insulation, as they do not restrict the moisture movement and have good thermal insulation properties. Materials like mineral wool and fiberglass on the other hand tend to retain moisture, which would create dampness in the wall, mould and timber decay. Further, while selecting the insulation material it is also important to select such a material that would continue to work for many years. Also, the material should be prevented from being blow out from the loft due to strong wind or being flown out from the eaves (English Heritage, 2008d). Insulating walls It has been commonly seen that traditional buildings have solid walls which help in insulating the house both internally as well as externally. With the use of internal lining of the walls, the rooms can be insulated easily. However, with regards to external insulation, it is advisable to hire experts to oversee such work as any damage to the external walls may result in heavy penalty (English Heritage, 2008d). Insulating below pitched roofs It is believed that one of the cheapest and easiest methods of increasing the energy efficiency of a building is through insulation of the ceiling on the top floor. This can be done easily in historic and traditional buildings as well if undertaken with care. If these insulations are carried out carefully and the materials that are compatible to the old buildings are used, then thick layers of insulations could be installed below the roofs without difficulty. Further, if the ceiling already has insulation, one may easily add more to the existing materials (English Heritage, 2008d). However, if one wants to use the loft space for storing, one may need to put more timber joists at the right angles on the present floor joists, as described in the figure below (figure 1). This will help in providing enough space for insulation. Further, by decreasing the heat flow from below, the insulation would improve and decrease the loft space temperature as well. In case the loft space has water tanks and pipes, it is important to ensure that these are insulated as well to stop them from freezing. Further, the lights or electric cables should not be covered with insulation as it may result in overheating. Figure 1: Maintaining ventilation in the roof space (English Heritage, 2008b) Ground floor insulation It is a very difficult task to undertake floor insulation and should be only handled by experienced people in this field. It should be kept in mind that such insulation is advisable to be undertaken while refurbishment works for the ground floor is being planned. Further, as these would require major works such as lifting of the present floor and even ground excavations in some cases, these needs to be handled by expert builders. This would eventually increase the cost as well (English Heritage, 2008d). Removing present insulation In case the existing insulation is found to be old and in poor condition or not installed properly, it should be replaced with immediate effect to control further damage. Further, if dampness in the timbers of the roof or staining or fungal growth is found near the insulation, it is advisable to replace the insulation (English Heritage, 2008d). Photovoltaic and traditional buildings In most historic buildings, the use of renewable technology generally means fixing equipments in the historic fabric of the property. Therefore, it is important to ensure that any works carried out on a historic property should not unnecessarily disturb or damage the historic fabric of the building. Further, while deciding about the methods to include renewable technology, it is advisable to adopt the principle of reversibility and minimum intervention in situations where it is possible to incorporate (English Heritage, 2008e). It is usually considered that buildings with solar panels or other such renewable technology equipments fixed on the main elevations, such as the face of the roof which could be viewed clearly, are not aesthetic in its appeal. This problem increases manifold in historic buildings as such installations may reduce the aesthetic and historic appeal of the building. Therefore, installation of solar panels and other such renewable technology may pose issues with historic buildings with elevations (English Heritage, 2008e). Further, while considering undertaking installation, it is important to also consider about the physical impact and reversibility of the installation on the property. For instance, a PV array and other such renewable equipments have a life span of around 25 years and therefore the building may require installations in subsequent years as well. Thus, it is important to take decisions regarding installation of such equipments by assessing the damages it may create while removing them at the time of their expiry or for repair work. Such an assessment is essentially important in a traditional house (English Heritage, 2005). In traditional houses that have roofs made up of handmade tiles or roofs, the replacement of such roofs would not only be difficult but also very expensive as drilling through these roofs would make the tiles unusable and therefore would require replacement. Thus, even before undertaking any installation work, it is important to research about the kind of roof covering that has been used in the structure and how this could be replaced. In the below figure (Figure 2) various installation methods of PV arrays are being described: Figure 2: Installation of PV arrays in traditional buildings (English Heritage, 2008b) Maintenance Renewable installations also need to be maintained on a regular basis for ensuring that they remain efficient and reliable. While maintenance work is being carried out, there are certain chances of damaging the property or fabric of the building. Therefore, while planning any installation in the building, it is advisable to work along the installer to understand the maintenance procedures for such equipments and the routine as well. Further, it would be important to inspect the equipments and cables on a regular basis as well (English Heritage, 2005). Case study Various property owners of historic and listed buildings are facing issues related to improving the energy efficiency of their properties due to restrictions on carrying out major works on the property. These property owners may face serious issues by 2016 as they would not be able to meet with the zero carbon emission norms due to their dependence on traditional fuels for warming the property. For instance, an owner of an 18th-century Cotswold stone cottage wants to replace the wooden windows of their house and use sealed glass units to insulate the house. They also do not have lofts and therefore cannot insulate them. Currently, they are spending around £115 per month for Calor gas and £240 for logs in a year. With stringent laws prohibiting the owners to carry out any external changes as it is being listed under Grade II buildings. The owners have to preserve the original external works and cannot undertake any renovation that would alter the look of the property (Howell, 2009). Therefore, due to the lack of guidelines or legal frameworks considering renovation work on traditional or listed buildings, it would be difficult for such property owners to undertake insulation works or fitting renewable equipments on the structure. Therefore, by 2016, such property owners would still be dependent on traditional fuels for insulating their houses and would not be able to fulfill their commitment towards creating zero carbon emission (Howell, 2009). Reference Communities and Local Government, Planning Policy Statement: Planning for Climate Change Supplement to PPS1, CLG, 2007. Communities and Local Government, Planning: A Guide for Householders what you need to know about the planning system, CLG, 2008a. Communities and Local Government, Statutory Instrument 2008 No675 Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Amendment) (England) Order 2008, CLG, 2008b. English Heritage, Building Regulations and Historic Buildings, English Heritage, 2002. English Heritage, Discovering the Past: Shaping the Future, Research Strategy 2005-2010, English Heritage, 2005. English Heritage, Changes to improve energy efficiency, Climate Change and Your Home, UK, 2008a. English Heritage, Energy conservation in traditional buildings, Climate Change and Your Home, UK, 2008b. English Heritage, Microgeneration in the Historic Environment, Climate Change and Your Home, UK, June 2008c. English Heritage, Small scale solar electric (photovoltaics) energy and traditional buildings, Climate Change and Your Home, UK, 2008d. English Heritage, Small-scale solar thermal energy and traditional buildings, Climate Change and Your Home, UK, 2008e. Howell, J., DIY advice: energy efficiency in listed buildings and pointing, The Telegraph, 28 April 2009, retrieved 28 December 2010, < http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertyadvice/jeffhowell/5230105/DIY-advice-energy-efficiency-in-listed-buildings-and-pointing.html>. Read More