PROJECTS
How retrofitting transformed five inefficient houses into highly desirable homes with an EPC rating of A.
Our long standing client, Annington is one of the largest private real estate owners in the UK. They asked for our help to improve the energy efficiency and sustainability of five family homes in Devizes, and get them ready for sale. Rated as EPC ‘E’, the properties provided a perfect test bed for Annington as they began their journey to decarbonise their UK homes and show the power of retrofit.
The details
Overview:
Refurbishing and retrofitting 5 four-bedroom homes
Location:
Devizes, Wiltshire
Timescale:
6 months
Works included:
- Additional 50mm external insulation render system
- 400mm additional roof insulation
- Solar panels – 14 PV panels at 5.6kwh per house
- Air source heat pump
- Mixergy smart cylinder hot water tank
- New insulated front doors and double-glazed windows
- Electric vehicle charging points
The vision
To transform five tired and energy inefficient properties into highly desirable and sustainable, private homes. The homes needed to compete with, and indeed surpass, the majority of new build homes available in the region in terms of sustainable design and energy-efficiency.
The challenges
Balance big sustainability aspirations with the budget
We spent several months value engineering every aspect of the project so that we could achieve the best results – finding the right blend of energy efficiency and aesthetic improvements with the available budget in the face of rising material costs. Not ones to shy away from a challenge, we managed to find the sweet spot where we achieved a dramatic increase in energy efficiency and in aesthetic appeal.
Improving energy efficiency
We took a fabric-first approach. This means improving the insulation and air tightness of a property to make sure every bit of heat generated stays in the home. This then minimises the need for energy to heat and cool the home. We achieved this with new roof and external wall insulation and new windows and doors.
We installed solar pv panels and air source heat pumps. These are boosted by a Mixergy smart hot water cylinder that intelligently manages the power supply and reduces reliance on the grid.
The perfect system would have included batteries for energy storage, but there wasn’t room in the budget. We’ve left the cables easily accessible, to make it easy to add a battery at a later date.
A tricky build
A tight site and building throughout winter meant this was a challenging build. With around an acre of land with five big homes, grassy gardens and lots of mature trees, we had to take extra care not to cut up the gardens and protect the trees. But with careful coordination of trades on site, and a coordinated yet adaptable schedule, we were able to keep the project moving smoothly.
The people
Inspiring the next generation
We hosted children from Preschute Primary School for a visit. They learnt about sustainable building practices, got to see the renewable technology we’d used, and even got some hands-on experience.
Their teacher, Mrs Jenkins, said…
“Thank you to Annington and PAH for having us out to the development for such an insightful trip. As the students are learning about the importance of sustainability in school, and the steps they can take in their own lives to help the environment, it was invaluable to get to see for ourselves a development committed to green building practices.
Training people in green retrofit skills
Given that 200,000 people need to be trained in retrofit by 2030 to support the UK’s net zero by 2050 ambition, we are proud that this project helped to train more people in green retrofit technologies.
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The impact
- The five homes all achieved an EPC rating of A, within budget and programme. Their running costs are estimated to be reduced by 90% (using SAP’s estimated average energy usage for a 4-bed detached property).
- The project was shortlisted for Retrofit Project of the Year in the Property Week ESG EDGE Awards.
- And perhaps even more importantly, the techniques and lessons learned at Marlborough Close will help us, and Annington, to retrofit even more homes and dramatically improve their energy efficiency.
"What we do at Annington is unique. We have a huge portfolio of houses that we didn’t build. It’s varied in so many ways, that we need a proactive contractor, who understands and can work with that level of complexity. PAH hold an extremely high reputation at Annington. We work in an industry that is constantly changing, and so are we as a business. There’s a lot of work to be done with ESG and sustainability. PAH are very good at adapting to that, they’ve been at the forefront. They’re able to recognise the unique issues that would put most people off. They roll up their sleeves, work out what to do and provide a solution. I can’t think of anything in terms of refurb that I’d be concerned about putting them forward for. They are honest, experienced, and adaptable. They’ve got access to all the right expertise at whatever level. They have a very strong, customer-facing management team with a wealth of experience. I’d recommend them for any refurb project."
Philip Allen, Annington
Director of Projects and Sales, Annington
“This was a standard-setting, flagship project for both Annington and PAH. There was a big focus on ESG and we were thrilled that we returned five big houses from EPC rating E to an A. Throughout, PAH were very good at getting into the detail and understanding the issues and solutions right from the start. They’re proactive, and come to us early with any problems so we’ve got the most amount of time to deal with them, and that’s exactly what I need. We’ve worked alongside PAH for 20 years, on large refurbishment jobs, often with multiple issues. They’re well set up and have the labour, expertise and resource to deal with commercial-sized jobs, especially the ones that are challenging or complex."
Scott Page, Project Manager
Annington