Edwardian terrace phased retrofit: CB3

Thu 30 Sep 2021, 7:00pm – 8:00pm

This was a fascinating online tour of Tom and Anne’s home detailing some really creative and well-thought through ways they have improved their home. See video and slides of their tour below which was attended by 36 participants.

Meet your hosts, Tom and Anne: Tom and Anne moved into their Edwardian terrace home in 2001 and have been retrofitting their home in stages ever since.

Starting with quick-win DIY improvements, like draught-proofing, secondary glazing and installing insulation in the loft, once these were done they moved on to larger features. Since 2001, their home-energy carbon emissions have been cut by 72%, with recent improvements expected to reduce losses from the kitchen by 67%.

By retrofitting in stages and making the most of opportunities they have been able to mostly stay in the house during the project as only some rooms are disrupted at a time.

Tom says: “Consider taking any opportunity for eco improvements – we regretted missing the chance for internal wall insulation when reworking our kitchen/dinner/sitting room in 2004. Now finally corrected!”

Come along to this talk to hear what they have learnt during this time and their experience of living in an eco home.

Key features of this home:

Solid wall, loft and under-floor insulation
Air-to-air heat pump
Passive cooling and awnings
Improvements to air tightness
Low embodied carbon materials: Reclaimed and restored pine flooring and marmoleum (eco-lino) in kitchen

Anne recently featured on BBC news to discuss their awnings. For a guide to making your own awnings, visit their action page here.