Paul Southall, environmental advisor at the National Trust explores ‘Energy efficiency for the National Trust’ in his article for the IHBC’s member journal Context special issue on ‘Green Retrofit’, which is now featured on the IHBC and Designing Buildings Wiki (DBW) ‘Conservation Wiki’.
Paul’s observations include that, ‘Even with something as simple as loft insulation there are variables to consider:
- Can we access all of the roof voids? Do we need access walkways for inspection?
- Natural fibres such as wool and wood have a lower ignition point than mineral fibres. Consideration must be given to insurance implications when integrating them into large loft
- How will older pipework in loft spaces react to the drop in temperatures following the insulation blocking the transfer of heat up into the loft?
- Care needs to be taken not to cover electrical cables, increasing the build-up of heat.
- How easy will it be to vacuum the bat poo off?
See the DBW feature
See the original article
For more online conservation Context see the digital archive
