This report sets out the recommendations from the review chaired by Peter Bonfield, on consumer advice and protection related to home energy efficiency and renewable energy measures. The report will be of interest to the heritage sector in relation to retrofitting historic buildings to improve their energy efficiency. In the next stage, industry will develop detailed plans to implement the vision set out in the report.
The report recommends ‘ that the design process considers the heritage of a property including its characteristic style and individual qualities to ensure the essence of these is preserved when installing measures. This can be challenging in dense urban areas’.
The report also notes that when considering retrofitting ‘often little or no focus is put on design and the process can be fragmented and inadequate’
Under a proposed standards framework, every retrofit project will have a single contract carrying the overall design responsibility. The project organisation will be responsible for the property, specific design and specification (including detailing, identifying future maintenance requirements etc.) for the package of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures to be installed.