Futureproof Cumbria

Month: July 2024

  • Introducing Climate Fresk to Cumbria’s Sustainability Network

    Introducing Climate Fresk to Cumbria’s Sustainability Network

    The roll out of our new climate science training continued this month with a free Climate Fresk session for Cumbria Sustainability Network members working alongside Zero Carbon Cumbria.

    Groups from across Cumbria were invited to take part in the Climate Fresk course, helping us reach reach as wide a audience as possible, and gain vital feedback for future courses.

    The Cumbria Sustainability Network is a wide ranging network of community groups from across the county. They work within their local area to develop projects that that promote a sustainable way of living and decarbonisation. You can find out more about the network here.

    Climate Fresk is our new 3 hour course exploring climate science, causes and consequences. It is card-based, dynamic and accessible  and you can read more about it here. 

    Members were invited to take part in the card-based session, as well as given time to meet other sustainability network members. The session finished with an exploration of different projects across Cumbria and how they fit with the Zero Carbon Cumbria emission baseline.

    Our Carbon Literacy Training Manager, Hazel Graham,  explains about the day:

    “There was such a buzz in the room. A real feel of collective learning, joint problem-solving, a sense of engagement and focus. The interactive session inspires conversation and allows those taking part to debate and grapple with the issue, developing a deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change. We’d love to offer that experience to many more people, so in September we are running our first ever public Climate Fresk for Cumbria , and our team can come out to an organisation or community and run a session there”

    Book your place on our next Climate Fresk course, Tuesday 17 September, 9:45.

  • Green Enterprise Hub Success Stories: Paragon Veterinary Practice

    Green Enterprise Hub Success Stories: Paragon Veterinary Practice

    Reducing their carbon footprint through renewable energy, waste management and vehicle tracking.

    View the case study here: Paragon Veterinary Practice

  • Thinking of retrofit? Tips for insulation

    Thinking of retrofit? Tips for insulation

    This is our third blog in our series exploring different aspects of retrofit. This one looks at insulation – and it’s a big topic! 

    Most modern houses are now built with cavity wall insulation, but many homes from the 1950s onwards were built with empty cavities that have been filled more recently or could have cavity wall insulation installed. Not all of these are suitable for cavity wall insulation. Older properties tend to have solid walls, or cavity walls that are not suitable for filling with insulation. These properties may be suitable for insulation either internally or externally. 

    It is also worth understanding the latest version of the Building Regulations – not all builders or plasterers realise that after taking off a certain percentage of the plaster off a wall, they may be obliged under the Building Regulations to insulate the wall. 

    Some things to think about:

    • Adding insulation to a house (particularly an older property) may create problems with damp, if the wrong kind of insulation is used, or if the thickness is too great, or the insulation is not installed in the right way. 
    • Insulating the ground floor needs care too – it can cause the joists to rot if done in the wrong way! 
    • Insulating the loft with mineral wool between the joists is the most common, low cost way to reduce heat loss from a house – but there are some dos and don’ts. 
    • Not all forms of loft insulation are a good idea – spray foam on the underside of the tiles is risky and most mortgage lenders will not lend on a house with this installed. 
    • Always think first – do you need a designer or specifier? The average builder is not insured to decide how to insulate your home – they probably don’t have the qualifications or the necessary professional indemnity insurance. 
    • If you are installing windows and internal or external insulation, the position of the windows relative to the insulation really matters, so make sure you get it designed right. 
    • If you’re thinking about internal or external wall insulation, floor insulation, or insulating a room in the roof, you are making a big change to your home. It’s really time to make a whole house plan to make sure you get all the benefits and don’t suffer from the unintended consequences. We can help you with that journey here.

    To find out more about insulation, take a look at our Eco-retrofit Webinar – #insulation (youtube.com) 

    You can read the other blogs here:

  • Thinking of retrofit? Tips for draught-proofing

    Thinking of retrofit? Tips for draught-proofing

    Our series of blogs exploring home retrofit hints and tips continues with a look at draught proofing. Read about windows and doors in the first blog here. 

    Draught-proofing and ventilation are 2 sides of the same coin – Seal Tight, Ventilate Right.  

    Some ideas to think about:

    • Sealing up the biggest and most obvious draughts is usually the easiest and cheapest way to save on heating bills (think letter boxes, around pipes and cables that run out through the external wall, open fireplaces, putting a carpet with underlay on a suspended timber floor and sealing around the edges) 
    • Some draughts are harder to find and harder to deal with. Many houses have cold air coming in through bricks, blocks or mortar joints, and this air can come through plug sockets or flow unseen in the gap between the ceiling of one room and the floor of the room above, leaking heat out of every room. 
    • Cold outside air moving behind plasterboard can wick heat out of a room even if there isn’t a crack or gap in the plasterboard to allow cold air into the room or warm air out. The heat transfers through the plasterboard and is carried away by the cold air on the other side. 
    • An airtightness test with thermal imaging is one way to measure how draughty a house is, and to show where the cold air is getting in.

    What’s wrong with air escaping through cracks and crevices in my walls? Well, if that warm, damp air from your home cools and condenses in the walls, then you could get damp and mould hidden in the walls.  

    What’s wrong with air coming in through gaps in my walls, ceilings or floors? Surely my house needs outside air to come in? Well, yes, but if mould has developed hidden in the walls, in the loft or under the floor, incoming air could pick up the mould spores and the quality of that air may not be what you really want to breathe in! 

    It’s  better to bring fresh air in through deliberate pathways such as a ventilation system inlet or trickle vents than through random gaps in the building.   And better to control when and where this fresh air comes in – when you need it, not just when the wind blows! 

    If you are sealing up draughts and adding insulation, you need to have a new ventilation strategy. It might be time to consider a whole house approach – find out how we can help you here. 

     

    To find out more about draught-proofing, take a look at our free video Eco-retrofit Webinar – #airtightness – YouTube 

  • Thinking of retrofit? Tips for windows and doors

    Thinking of retrofit? Tips for windows and doors

    In the first of a series of blogs to help you with a home retrofit we start thinking about replacing windows or doors.

    Windows can make a room feel too cold….. or too hot. 

    • The U value of the whole window (Uw) is a measure of total heat loss through the glazing, the frame and the perimeter of the glass. 
    • Uw depends on the size and shape of each window and the amount of glazing relative to the frame. 
    • The g value tells you how much heat from the sun can get in (the lower the better if you have an overheating issue on sunny days) 

    Think about the seals to prevent draughts. Some windows and doors have better seals than others. Bifold doors and sash windows are particularly prone to failure of seals over time. Also think about heat loss around the frame when the window is installed. There may be a gap you can’t see between window and reveal (often hidden by trims and finishes). This can lose more heat than the whole window, so make sure your windows are installed properly! These hidden gaps can also cause mould growth around the window.   

    If a room is overheating because of excessive solar gain through a window, consider external shading (it is much more effective than internal blinds or curtains). South facing windows may benefit from a brise soleil, while west facing windows may benefit more from external blinds or shutters. Think about this before you buy your windows. It may affect the windows you choose, which way they open, and how you control your external blinds or shutters. 

    Think about your wall insulation before you buy windows or decide on shading options – are you planning to insulate your walls externally or internally, now or in the future? Think about this before selecting windows and installing them. 

    If you’re in need of a whole house plan to allow you to consider all of the home improvements you’d like to make and how they fit together, click here to find out how we can help.

     

    For choosing windows, see our free recorded webinar: Eco-Retrofit: Focus on Windows and Doors Unit 1: Choosing doors and windows – Webinar recording – YouTube 

    For installing windows, see our free recorded webinar: Eco-Retrofit: Focus on Windows and Doors Unit 2: Window installation – Webinar recording – YouTube