‘Help! Is there any hope for my draughty 1882 property?’

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Making Paul Bennett’s home go green is a tall order. At first glance is a shining example of why Britain’s green revolution has stalled when confronted with such old housing stock.

Mr Bennett’s home in Colchester was built in 1882. It has high ceilings, single-glazed sash windows and attic rooms. Taken together they give the property a classic feel, but the home’s ability to retain heat is – by Mr Bennett’s own admission – very poor indeed.

The 52-year-old, who runs a travel agency and tour operator, lives with his wife, 51, and two teenage children. He says that the family uses vast quantities of hot water, which explains the property’s 300-litre tank. As for its heating, Mr Bennett says that the property’s four-year-old gas boiler barely gets the house to a reasonable temperature.

“The house never feels warm or retains heat,” he adds. “I have been looking for ideas to improve the house ecologically but finding it difficult because of its age.”

Mr Bennett’s property was last visited by an energy efficiency assessor seven years ago. At the time, his property was given a disastrous energy performance certificate rating of E – just two bands short of the worst level. He suspects the property’s insulation is poor, and that there is no insulation at all in the roof.

Attempts to upgrade the windows without falling foul of conservation guidelines have been mixed, Mr Bennet says. “I have looked at using super energy-efficient glass with the sash windows as this is much thinner and could potentially fit, though this doesn’t help with the draughts that whistle through the joints.”

Two of the house’s windows were previously fitted with draught exclusion, but the company responsible dissolved before more could be done. Telegraph Money dispatched two experts to Mr Bennett to suggest improvements and offer a fresh EPC score.

Ben Heng, of Vibrant EPC assessors, says:

During the visit Mr Bennett asked about his home’s windows as the property is in a conservation area but also has sash windows. However, the benefit gained from looking at making an improvement to the windows is minimal and therefore not recommended.

Mr Bennett mentioned that not only does the property struggle to retain heat but it never feels warm.

With the walls being of cavity construction which has been filled with insulation, one might assume that the property should not struggle to get and keep warm.

But as there is probably no insulation around the room in roof or residual loft spaces, then it is far too easy for heat to escape via its natural route of upwards.

Therefore, before considering making material changes to the shell of the property I would recommend the room in roof and any residual loft space is insulated to the highest level practicable.

Installing room-in-roof insulation at a typical install cost of £1,500-£2,700 would result in typical yearly savings of £1,043.

If one was to ensure a minimum of 350mm of insulation in both any residual loft space and the flat ceiling of the room in roof with no less than 150mm of insulation on the stud walls and sloping ceiling of the room in roof, the property could achieve a new rating of 73 with typical savings of £1,416. 

As far as the windows are concerned, it is entirely possible to get wood effect double-glazed windows installed that should not go against any restrictions in place due the conservation status. 

I would then recommend that we step away from the EPC for a moment and seek guidance from a gas engineer to determine whether the boiler is sufficient for the size of property and that the radiators are sufficient for the rooms they are in.

Mr Bennett has also mentioned that he had looked into solar panels with batteries but was struggling to get anywhere or even companies to attend in order to quote.

A set of 2.5 kilowatt peak (kWp) solar photovoltaic panels, with a typical install cost, is £3,500-£5,500 offer average savings of £696 a year.

It would also be worth enquiring what available space there is for solar water heating, as Mr Bennett has mentioned that he and his family are probably higher users of hot water than typical. Solar water heating typically costs between £4,000 and £6,000 to install and could save £143 a year. 

Lastly, floor insulation. As the property has a suspended timber floor, it could cause less disruption than a solid floor in terms of installation and although from a financial perspective it may not seem like a viable choice (installation costs £800-£1,200 on average, and saves £203 a year) – the comfort of walking on a warmer floor might in itself be a strong enough benefit to negate the minimal financial gain.

Phil Steele, of Octopus, says: 

Mr Bennett and his family live in a spacious semi-detached townhouse that is more than 100 years old. Due to the age and the fact that the house is located in a conservation area, it presents various heat loss issues.

The cellar, which opens onto the garden, lacks insulation for the heating and hot water pipes running across the ceiling.

If he decides he doesn’t want the cellar to be heated, he would have to insulate the ceiling because of the hot water pipes. However, this would cause dampness.

Treating the cellar as a heated room would require insulating the ceiling and changing the door to an insulated one, but this may also cause dampness. Installing a radiator in the cellar and treating it as a room in the house seems like a better option, especially with the door leading to the garden.

The airing cupboard on the ground floor, above the cellar, also lacks insulation for the pipes.

Heat is escaping through the top of the hot water tank, warming up the top half of the airing cupboard as well as the nearby kitchen and rear living room.

Under the stairs in the hallway, there is an uninsulated hatch accessing the void beneath the hallway and front room. The underfloor insulation is visible, but it needs to be increased and the hatch itself should be insulated.

Most of the windows are single-glazed sash windows, but adding double-glazed panes and installing brush-strips will significantly improve insulation.

Cavity wall insulation has been done on the external walls, but the ceiling of the bay window in the front lacks insulation. There are insulation issues in the sloped ceilings of the two rear bedrooms and the attic rooms.

Heat is entering these rooms on hot days, indicating a lack of insulation. The attic eaves, accessible through a hatch, have inadequate insulation, and the floors of the eaves lack insulation as well.

Installing ceiling insulation and addressing the attic insulation will greatly improve energy efficiency.

Mr Bennett has received a quote for a solar system installation, and the east-to-west alignment of the house is ideal.

The attic eaves provide enough space for the inverter and battery installation, and if he gets a regular sized array (around 10 panels) these could be paying for themselves in savings in just a few years, depending on how much energy Mr Bennett uses.

However, smart tariffs can optimise the usage of solar panels, offer cheap periods for charging electric cars overnight, reduce peak demand and the need for grid expansion.

Heat pumps were also discussed, and while they can work in most properties, insulation issues must be addressed first.

The most significant recommendation is to focus on insulation issues, as renovating the attic and resolving the draughty doors and single-glazed windows will make a substantial difference.