LETI Publication Launch: Climate Emergency Retrofit Guide
Jiaxin Wu reports on the launch of this important new document.
Upgrading a building in response to the climate emergency is not only to reduce carbon emissions, it is also to adapt it for climate change.
LETI provides best practice guidance for the built environment industry. At the heart of which sit six main principles:
Reduce energy consumption - aiding energy security, reducing bills and improving comfort.
Prioritise occupant and building health - creating healthy, durable and resilient buildings for the long term.
Have a whole building Retrofit Plan - minimising risk and maximising opportunities.
Measure the performance - understanding achievements, lessons learned and building cases for future projects.
Think big! - We cannot afford to do the bare minimum and must be carbon zero by 2050.
Consider impact on embodied carbon - eliminating new materials where not needed and using durable, low embodied carbon materials.
Since one size does not fit all, targets set depend on property type, appropriateness and available capital of deep retrofit. The aim is to see where your project sits within the national picture in response to the current climate emergency.
With 28 million dwellings in the UK, it is estimated by English Heritage that around 25% have heritage features, therefore constraining retrofitting. However, the remaining 75% of building stock is more than suitable for most retrofit measures, offering the opportunity to reduce energy consumption. In order to extend the longevity of our current building stock we can no longer use constraints of some building stock as an excuse to not retrofit.
Beyond the industry, retrofit is critical in transitioning to net zero by 2050. It is time to think beyond the financial benefits of retrofitting and look within our communities where retrofit provide warm, comfortable homes with people who are happier and healthier.
The London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) is a network of built environment professionals working together to put the UK on the path to a zero carbon future. They have recently launched a suite of documents to help people understand operational, embodied and Whole Life Carbon and how to achieve net zero.
We are very proud to have been part of the working group who contributed to these documents.
For more information, and to download the publications, please visit the LETI website.
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