BRE's Victorian refurb reveals blueprint for retrofitting

A Victorian terrace jam-packed with innovative construction was revealed by the BRE today.

The BRE worked with dozens of partners to transform the former stable block into an exemplar for low-energy retrofitting.

Both conventional and innovative products have been used in the first phase of the Victorian Terrace Retrofit project and they will be closely monitored by the BRE.

As well as researching the best ways of improving the energy performance of the UK’s existing housing stock the project sets out to examine the housing requirements of Britain’s ageing population.

The aim of the project is to improve the energy performance of the building from an F to a B rating.

The BRE’s chief executive Peter Bonfield said: “To achieve emission reduction targets, the average EPC rating for all housing wil have to be upgraded to a band B or better, a level currently achieved by only 1-2% of homes.

“The Victorian Terrace will act as a laboratory test bed from which we will create an evidence base of knowledge and guidance that can be assessed by the construction industry, stakeholders and householders to deliver a step change in the roll out of sustainable housing refurbishment fit for future generation.”

In future phases the BRE will upgrade two more units of the terrace. It will publish refurbishment specifications based on the performance of the terrace in terms of CO² savings and payback periods.

Read Thomas Lane’s blog on the launch. Look out for more videos on the technology used.