Green DIY Ideas for Period & Listed Buildings

Period properties are constantly in demand. From turn of the century bungalows to ancient castles wherever you are in the world there is a market for them. This desire to purchase a period property, unlike that for modern homes comes primarily from a love of design and tradition as opposed to price and comfort.

For most of us the purchase of a period or listed property is a dream or otherwise a pretty big investment of both finance and time. It can be considered that whatever the state of the property or era in which it was made there is always renovation work to be completed.

Period properties are notoriously inefficient. Whether it is the big gaps between doors and floorboards or the lack of any insulation whatsoever; large energy bills come with the project. But what if you don’t want to settle for large energy bills? What if you want to reduce your carbon footprint? Below we highlight a number of DIY projects which can instantly transform your leaky period home into a snugg efficient castle.

Green DIY for Period Homes

Replace/add roof insulation

By far and away the update which will have the biggest impact. Most period properties are totally lacking in the roof insulation department and as such it should be one of the first things you look at. Adding insulation shouldn’t fill you with DIY fear either; in most cases the procedure is straight forward (changing slightly if you have flooring upstairs or not). Either way adding roof insulation could trim your energy consumption by 25% and have little to no impact on the look of your property.

Eco Friendly Sash Windows

Windows are one of the biggest areas of heat/energy loss from a period home and as such updating/replacing them should be high up your list of priorities. However be wary of signing up with just any window company as you may end up with efficient but ugly PVC alternatives; which will totally change the appearance of your home. Instead look for companies which specialize in replicating your existing style or even repairing them. English Heritage suggests that by repairing your windows you can reduce heat leakage by as much as one third. Add draft proofing too and efficiency is improved by 86%.

Pick a new door with period design features

Unfortunately wood is amongst the least efficient material a front door can be made from. It is also unfortunate that all the original period doors tend to be made from it as well. There is however an alternative in the form of a composite door, which are manufactured using 21^st century technology but feature period design character. Be sure to show around though as different door manufacturers produce doors of differing efficiency. You are looking for the lowest U-value rating available (around 1.0W/(m2.K).

Invest in cavity insulation

Most homes built after the 1920s should have cavity walls, which means filling them with insulation will boost the overall efficiency of your home and not have any effect on the look of your property. The problem is with older homes built without cavity walls as previously energy efficiency would be gained by hiding features such as stone or woodwork. A recent study by SPAB however concluded that 79% of old walls (including timber, cob, limestone and slate) retained heat better than expected. If you do choose to insulate your walls, make sure you choose a suitable material. Older walls need to ‘breathe’ to function properly and a non-breathable material could cause damp problems down the line.

These ideas on how to reduce home energy consumption were brought to you be Nick Williams. Nick works for Yale Door who manufactures energy efficient, U-value compliant composite front doors.