{"id":16465,"date":"2017-08-22T16:04:49","date_gmt":"2017-08-22T15:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ihbconline.co.uk\/newsachive\/?p=16465"},"modified":"2017-08-22T16:04:49","modified_gmt":"2017-08-22T15:04:49","slug":"ihbc-welcomes-cla-profile-on-retrofit-highlighting-the-bigger-picture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=16465","title":{"rendered":"IHBC welcomes CLA profile on retrofit, highlighting the bigger picture\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CLA<\/a>The IHBC has welcomed the Policy Briefing from the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) \u2018The Retro Fit-Up<\/em><\/a>\u2019, which highlights the problems with the current energy assessment method, especially in terms of traditional buildings operated as rental properties by its members.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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IHBC trustee John Edwards said: \u2018New regulations coming into force in April 2018 are set to make it illegal to rent out properties that do not meet new energy efficiency standards, and in the lead up landlords will be ‘rushing-to-retrofit’, often without enough knowledge and consideration of damage they may be causing their properties.\u00a0 This Briefing should help CLA members and advisers respond to those threats\u2019.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018So we are delighted to welcome this publication, \u2018The Retro Fit-up, How government energy policy is failing older houses across the British countryside\u2019.\u00a0 But we would also highlight how it is linked to wider issues that conservation professionals must also recognise.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018The recent fire at Grenfell has raised the subject of retrofit to another level and should cast an eye on the whole approach that the UK takes towards the retrofit of existing buildings.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018But it\u2019s not just fire that needs a focus but also damp, mould and the potential harm to human health as well as the long-term sustainability of buildings that have been retrofitted.\u00a0 There are thousands of examples where even a cursory glance at a retrofitted building can alarm one to potential problems and the UK governments response to remedying the problems is to action their \u2018Every Home Counts\u2019 report.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018However, as John Preston\u2019s recent article in the IHBC membership journal, Context<\/em> (No.149) there is UK government funded research into retrofit that has never been published, so we don\u2019t really know the extent of the problem.<\/p>\n

\u2018The other thing that we need to highlight is that maintenance and repair is a way to make buildings more energy efficient as pointed out in BS 7913, but there isn\u2019t a means to capture this.\u2019<\/p>\n

The Executive Summary to \u2018The Retro Fit-up\u2019 states:<\/p>\n