NEP launches the Community Retrofit House
Nottingham Energy Partnership, the Climate Change Charity, have recently purchased a house in the beautiful Old Meadows Conservation Area at 42 Pyatt Street, to further the Green Meadows commitment to improving the energy efficiency of homes through the installation of energy saving measures.
For the first time, in collaboration with industry experts, they will teach and provide Meadows residents the practical skills to retrofit a house like theirs on site.
The aim of the Community Retrofit House is for residents to physically help with the upgrade of the property, and further embed skills and knowledge into the community that can be shared with their neighbours, family and friends. Residents will have the opportunity to experience the installation of a range of energy efficiency and renewable upgrades.
Residents will follow the approach as set out in our Green Meadows Insulation Guide and Future Fit Home Plan. They will experience first-hand the importance of using Natural Building Materials in old buildings and the Fabric First Approach to Retrofit i.e., the focus on reducing heat loss from the building before installing renewable energy systems because, the cheapest and greenest energy is the energy you don’t use in the first place.
Energy security remains topical due to recent global events and highlights the need for households to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. Retrofitting the home with energy saving measures is the key way we can reduce our reliance on fossil fuels to reduce eyewatering energy bills, make our homes warmer and our communities healthier. When done properly retrofit can reduce mould in our homes, keep us at a comfortable temperature and introduce fresh air. With the price of energy remaining expensive we hope to showcase the impact that retrofit can have.
According to the Committee on Climate Change’s report on UK housing, 29 million homes in the UK will need retrofit measures to meet Net Zero by 2050.
Due to the house being located in the Old Meadows Conservation Area residents will also learn how to retrofit and preserve the architectural and historic value of the property.
We will be using natural building materials in our Community Retrofit House for their low carbon properties, vapour permeability and overall performance at reducing heat loss to keep the home warm, and keeping the walls, roof and floors dry, healthy and free from mould and toxins. This is because unlike synthetic petrol-based plastic or foam materials, natural fibre insulations allow moisture to pass freely through the fabric (walls and roof) of the building.
We will be running a number of workshops on-site throughout 2024 and 2025 to retrofit the house. These practical DIY workshops will include; plastering, insulating roofs, floors and walls, heat pumps and much more.
If you are interested in following or participating in our Community Retrofit House journey, keep up to date with our blog events and or give us a call on 0115 718 2028 to find our more.
We are going to need your help to retrofit the house!