A lot of new renovators are curious about what we’d do differently as we near the end of our 1930s house renovation, and the answer to that is, ‘quite a lot!’

Hindsight is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?

We’ve learned a hell of a lot from our mistakes sharing these all throughout this blog and our online course.

As we near the end of our renovation, Sarah and Col, are at the start of theirs.

They’ve just got the keys to an amazing property in the highlands of Scotland which Sarah will introduce you to in the coming weeks (I’m SO excited she will be showing us round).

Sarah and Col are renovators on our online course. They’ve studied all our mistakes, and are now putting into practice the framework we advise people follow to ensure their renovation is finished on budget and on time.

But there’s another key focus they’re passionate about instilling as they renovate their new property which we were eager to share with you. One that, if we could turn back the clock, we’d have taken a lot more seriously too…

Their carbon footprint. And how their renovation can be eco-friendly.

The WGBC shared a report showing that together, Building & Construction is responsible for 39% of all carbon emissions in the world.

Choosing to renovate vs demolition is already a better move, but given you’re about to rip out and replace everything from the walls to the floors, are you choosing the most energy-efficient solutions to future proof your home, save you money and protect the planet?

If you’re renovating soon, this will be eye-opening for you.

Meet Sarah & Col (and their charming renovation project) and hear about their eco-renovation ideas

Hi, we’re Sarah and Col and we’ve just bought our first house. It’s a big renovation project. And we want it to be an eco-renovation project.

A bit about us

We’ve recently moved to the Scottish Highlands, leaving behind our jobs, many friends, my family and the boat we’d been living on for the last 4 years down in the south of England. The pull north came from Col’s desire to work on his family farm, transitioning a traditional livestock farm towards regenerative agriculture (@col_gordon for more on that). After years working in the city-centric world of corporate communications and environmental policy, I had also found an exciting new job in Inverness, managing carbon offsetting projects around Scotland.

The move north came with one condition: as much as I love them, I did not want to live with my in-laws forever. But finding a property in the slow-moving Highland property market was a challenge.

Finding their Victorian primary school renovation

After several years of semi-serious house-hunting, we came across something within our price range that we could genuinely get excited about. A former Victorian primary school with huge windows, exposed stone walls and views across the firth. The catch? It was semi-converted, with some bizarre design choices and no central heating. On the north coast of Scotland. Eep.

And so my research into how to renovate an old building sustainably began…

A low-carbon renovation

To begin to tackle the climate crisis, we need to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Around 15% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions come from our homes. That’s roughly the same as come from our cars. You’ve heard about electric vehicles, you’ve probably heard about eating less meat…but what about our houses?

To meet net-zero targets, well over 20,000 homes a week will need to switch to low-carbon heating between 2025 and 2050.

Renovators, consider this your call to action!

Heating

Making your home warm and comfortable is rightly a priority for most renovators, but heating is also normally the biggest factor in our home’s environmental footprint. So how can we keep our homes toasty without heating the planet?

1. Insulation, insulation, insulation

To create a cosy home, cut carbon and keep costs down, insulation should be your number one priority. You may have the most eco-heating system in the world, but it’s not much use if all the warmth escapes through draughty doors and uninsulated ceilings. A renovation is the perfect time to plan small changes which could massively lower your home’s carbon footprint and utility bills.

Ripping up a floor? Consider installing insulation below the floorboards while you’re at it. Loft conversion? Upgrading roof insulation will be critical. But there are also less invasive measures which can make a big difference – fitting draught excluders on doors and windows, or making sure there are no gaps in your existing loft insulation. The Energy Saving Trust has lots of information on different types of insulation and government grants available.

At the time of writing (8th July 2020), Rishi Sunak is announcing the new ‘Green Homes Grant’ – a scheme offering vouchers for insulation and double glazing which will launch in September 2020 for homes in England. So it’s a great time to start thinking about how you could up the eco in your renovation in a cost-effective way.

If your house was built before 1945, you also should also consider the building’s breathability - there are lots of good tips in The Old House Eco-Handbook and this free (but more technical) sustainable renovation guide.

As with all advice on this website, it’s important you seek the right expertise when making any changes to your property. This guide is to show you what’s possible. Heating and insulation requirements must be calculated by an experienced engineer.

2. Low-carbon heating systems

I’ve tried to summarise my research on eco-friendly heating options into a crude hierarchy below. Remember though that your existing set-up and requirements will play a big part in how sustainable each of these options are for your home. We’ve chosen an air source heat pump and solar PV combination. The existing wood-burning stoves will help top up the heat and hygge in winter.

Infograph produced by Sarah for fifimcgee.co.uk exclusive use

So what is a heat pump? The basic premise is that it exchanges heat from outside with cold air from inside – kind of like a reverse fridge. This warmth is then pumped around your home heating system.

Any heating installation is a big investment - think anywhere from £5-30k depending on the size of your property and system you go for. But there is help available if you chose renewables. The UK-wide Renewable Heat Incentive is open for applications until March 2022 (our system should pay back an estimated £11k over 7 years), while Scottish Government offers interest-free loans of up to £13.5k. Even without this, our system is predicted to pay for itself on fuel savings alone. Plus, with governments obliged to meet net-zero targets it’s likely that the cost of fossil fuels will increase and make the longer-term cost savings of renewable systems even greater.

Top things to consider:

What space do you have available? If you’re lucky enough to have a big garden then a ground source heat pump might be an option. A big shed or unused garage could house a biomass boiler and wood storage. An air source heat pump needs far less space, and can be installed on an outside wall of a flat or house. It also tends to be the cheaper of the heat pump options.
Heat pumps operate at lower temperatures than traditional central heating and biomass systems. This means they work best with underfloor heating or larger radiators and – you guessed it – well-insulated homes
Layout considerations: air source heat pumps work best on a sunny exterior wall. Although they’re pretty quiet, you still might not want one directly below your bedroom window. For any heat pump, you will also need to find somewhere inside for the boiler – about 700x700mm and 2400mm tall.
There are various air source heat pumps suited for different needs. Mitsubishi seem to be consistently rated best for reliability and performance in lower temperatures, and have a model suited to coastal areas.
To qualify for the Renewable Heat Incentive, you will need an up to date Energy Performance Certificate which shows your insulation is up to scratch. We’re told the RHI application takes a few weeks to process.
To get an accurate quote, engineers really need to visit the property. A good company will design a heating system based on how you use each room and a bunch of other factors.

There is a lot of innovation happening in renewables and new policies from governments to support the retrofit of eco-technologies in homes all the time. For example, more detail should emerge on the Green Home Grants announced in today’s budget over the coming weeks. So this blog is just a snapshot of what’s out there right now, but I hope it helps spark some ideas on the lower-carbon alternatives for keeping your renovation warm and cosy.

As for Col and I, you’ll find us in the loft sorting out our insulation so that we can have our eco-heating installed in time for my first Scottish winter!!

If you want to follow our renovation project, you can find us on @old.school.scotland on Instagram.

If you enjoyed this post, stay tuned because Sarah & Col will be sharing their renovation progress here on our website! Watch them turn their old Victorian school into their home, and a space for small gigs, workshops and classes, discussions and screenings.

It will be a monthly feature, coming up next… the grand tour of inside their new home.

We can’t wait to watch their project develop!

Thanks for reading,

Fi & Neil

Lowering your renovation’s carbon footprint: What to consider