40 percent Pioneers
As one of the main strategies for reducing emissions in the housing sector, the 40 percent house project proposes raising the performance of existing housing stock to be on par with current best practice for new build, which is approximately 8,200kWh/year for space heating.
Here we bring together the stories of 7 pioneer households, who have successfully refurbished their homes to achieve deep cuts in their personal carbon emissions. Enjoy reading about the strategies, challenges and achievements of these inspiring pioneers. There are comment boxes at the bottom of each case study, so please feel free to share on this website your own refurbishment experiences to save energy and carbon. The houses covered represent a cross section of Britain’s housing types:
Case study 1: An 18th Century cottage
Case study 2: A mid Victorian end-terrace house
Case study 3: A late Victorian semi-detached villa
Case study 4: A late Victorian semi-detached house
Case study 5: A 1920s semi-detached house
Case study 6: A 1930s mid-terrace council house
Case study 7: A 1980s developer home
The role of pioneers
The current government measures for renovation of the existing housing stock are very limited. The only systematic and target driven activities focus on the poorest sectors of society through the national Fuel Poverty Programme. Other changes depend entirely on providing market incentives for householders to adopt insulation and fuel efficient (for example subsidies provided by utility companies through the Energy Efficiency Commitment) and direct subsidies for adopting renewable technologies through the small and oversubscribed Clear Skies Programme. Overall, however, there is no government strategy or targets for the systematic and thorough reduction of emissions of the domestic housing sector.
Despite the lack of an overall strategy, around Britain there is a growing community of pioneers who have taken up the issue of climate change as a personal challenge and, through their creative and often experimental renovations, are proving that major emission reductions are achievable on a tight budget.
Measures taken in the case studies
All pioneers have adopted the basic energy efficiency measures promoted by agencies such as the Energy Savings Trust such as cavity and loft insulation (usually far exceeding the current recommendations), compact fluorescent lightbulbs, A or A+ performance appliances. In pursuit of greater emissions reductions, the pioneers have adopted a range of different strategies determined by their personal interests, their house, and their budget.
Each number by the measure corresponds to the case study, so if you want to find out more detail click on the number to go straight to the case study.
Heating
High performance condensing gas boilers 4, 5, 6, 7
Wood burning stoves 1, 3
Open source heat pump 2
Underfloor heating 1, 2
Solar
Solar thermal water heating 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Solar thermal space heating 2
Photovoltaic Electricity Generation 2, 7
Insulation
Cavity insulation 6, 7
Solid wall insulation 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Additional features
Building materials with low embodied energy 1, 3, 5
Sun porches and draft lobbies 2, 5, 6
Obstacles
Apart from the budgetary restraints common to all building projects, the pioneers reported obstacles specific to their ambition to go beyond standard practice. All pioneers encountered major challenges in obtaining adequate information on theory and products and finding competent installers.
Many pioneers found themselves setting a precedent for local planners or building control officers in areas. In some cases they encountered council officials who were very supportive and keen to support the project (2, 3). In other cases the official response added major cost or delay to the project (1, 5) and in one case brought the entire project to a standstill (4). Two of the projects reported major failings with the governments Clear Skies programme which is intended to encourage the adoption of domestic renewables (2, 3).
Despite these obstacles, none of the pioneers regretted the unconventional approach they have taken, and all were keen to encourage others to follow.
Top tips
The pioneers were invited to offer top tips to others wishing to follow their path. Here are some of the main ones:
Expect it to take longer than you expected or hoped (everyone)
Buy materials direct from the manufacturers (1)
Plan the project around a series of steps (1)
Don’t impose a solution- work with the unique qualities of the house (2)
Hire builders who understand and support your vision (2, 3)
Adapt the way you live to fit with your new house (6, 7)
Re-use as much building waste as possible in renovations (5)
Always seek to exceed current building regulations on insulation (5)
Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to George Marshall of COIN for preparing each of these 40 percent pioneer case studies. We would also like to extend our gratitude to each of the pioneers for sharing in detail their efforts to reduce their household carbon emissions.
