This report looks into key aspects of the responsible retrofit of traditional buildings on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). This work was undertaken by the Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance (STBA) which represents most of the main historic building groups in the UK as well as mainstream construction-related organisations.
The work was carried out following concerns raised with regard to the application of certain retrofit measures, including those incorporated into the Green Deal, in respect of the UK’s traditional building stock. A traditional building is defined as a property built prior to 1919 with solid walls constructed of moisture-permeable materials.2 It is estimated that traditional buildings number over 6 million, almost one quarter of the UK domestic housing stock. The concerns around retrofitting this class of buildings include possible failures of financial and energy payback, fabric and human health issues, and potential damage to heritage, as well as missed opportunities for the radical improvement of traditional building performance.