Our first zero carbon ready pilot is complete!

Our first zero-carbon ready pilot is now complete. The property at 16 Lynton Road, Coventry has been transformed into a highly energy efficient home.

Our Zero Carbon and Development Strategy has recently evolved to include the targets set out by the Government’s Future Homes Standard Strategy.

Building Surveyor Paul Kerby said 16 Lynton Road was selected as a pilot property for achieving the zero carbon ready standard.

He said: “With decarbonisation targets now firmly set by the Government’s Future Homes Standard Strategy, social housing providers are looking at their existing housing stock and considering the challenges that lie ahead in reaching these targets.

“Reaching such a standard can be complex, however, it can be broadly split in to two categories: 1) insulating the external fabric of the building to a very high standard and 2) introducing highly efficient heating and hot water technologies.

“The 16 Lynton Road pilot property primarily focuses on the external fabric of the building.”

Paul said that to transform the property into a highly energy efficient building we took a ‘fabric first’ approach.

This means that we heavily focused on the performance of the external building fabric. The installation of a highly energy efficient heating and hot water system is to follow. Work included:

• 150mm external wall insulation
• New fully insulated ground floor construction
• Improved loft insulation and ventilation
• Enhanced details to remove cold bridging such as insulation below Damp Proof Course (DPC), internal wall insulation and roofline extensions
• New double-glazed windows, sitting within the insulation
• New insulated flat roof to ground floor extension/bathroom
• Whole house ventilation system

Non energy efficiency works included:

• Full rewire
• New kitchen
• New bathroom
• Full internal decorations including floor coverings
• External landscaping

Paul added: “Achieving zero carbon ready requires the external elements of a building to reach standards, including the ground floor construction.

“It can be a costly and disruptive job to renew the entire ground floor of a property as kitchens and other internal fixtures may need to be removed.

“This property already needed a new ground floor construction as the existing was failing. It also required a new kitchen. These considerations, as well as the suitability of the construction in general, were taken into account when selecting the most appropriate property available at the time.

“Net zero is important as it’s the best way we can tackle climate change by reducing global warming. What we do in the next decade to limit emissions will be critical to the future, which is why every country, sector, industry and each one of us must work together to find ways to cut the carbon we produce.”

Paul said the works that were done to 16 Lynton Road has reduced its carbon emissions by 1966 kg/yr. which is a 60% reduction on emissions, with a similar percentage reduction in the energy bills and there will be greater reductions when the energy supply grid is further decarbonized.

He added: “The Future Homes Standard should produce 75-80% less carbon emissions compared with current levels. We are playing our part at Citizen to ensure we meet these new regulation targets through our zero carbon ready project. By building our new homes and refurbishing our properties to a zero carbon ready standard our customers will also benefit from reduced energy bills and their properties will stay warmer for longer.

“We are currently looking at the lessons we have learned throughout this project and how we can incorporate these lessons into the works we are undertaking now and into the future. We have already changed our specification for our ongoing external wall insulation programme to incorporate what we have learned. This includes providing an increase in the level of insulation above the current building regulations standards and improving technical details, making properties more efficient for our customers.

“This project was our first step into understanding the works that are required to meet Citizen’s Zero Carbon Strategy. It has given us invaluable information about the complexities of retro fitting our properties and the amount of work that will be required to meet the government’s decarbonisation targets that will influence projects going forward.

“We are constantly evaluating new products that are being brought to market and looking at how we can incorporate them into our projects.”

Paul added the property is ready to move in and is not occupied.

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