This 120-year-old terraced house is now a zero-carbon home. We define this as a home that has zero net operational annual energy use, which means that over the course of a year, the renewable energy generated by the solar panels is equal to the power used by the home. We achieved this by insulating walls, floors, chimneys, and lofts; adding an air source heat pump for heating; and installing solar panels with battery storage to maximise in house use of the energy generated. This project establishes how traditional housing forms in Greater Manchester can be improved to reach the GMCA target of being carbon neutral by 2038.
Your Home Better is a community interest company founded by national experts which only works with trusted contractors. We emphasise using locally sourced materials whenever we can to further reduce the carbon emissions associated with retrofitting. Our experts collaborate with contractors to increase their retrofit skills and find new cost-effective ways of making homes easier to keep warm We are developing new digital ways of working, to increase efficiency and share knowledge – this property was a example for the redevelopment of the Retrofit Pattern Book (retrofit support).
This home, although over 100 years old, has insulation measures that outperform the requirements for new build properties. This retrofit proves that we do not need to replace homes with new builds but can retrofit the older housing stock efficiently, which reduces the carbon produced by homes without ripping apart communities and vintage features.
Three Winning Facts:
- An over 100 year old house now out performs new build properties on insulation and can generate all of the power it needs for a year from solar panels on the roof.
- This pioneering, proof of concept project establishes how traditional housing forms in Greater Manchester can be improved to achieve the GMCA target of being carbon neutral by 2038.
- A collaborative community focused group led by national experts using new creative resources has redeveloped insulation measures which will now be used in grant funded works and are accessible online to anyone.
