There are two main areas to be considered when carrying out improvement work to a traditional building.
The first is draught-proofing. This is because large amounts of energy can be lost through gaps in construction and so this should be the first energy-saving measure to be taken. This type of heat loss can easily offset any valuable upgrading work which might have been carried out elsewhere in a building.
For instance, heat lost from draughts will simply by-pass any insulation which might have been added. The majority of draught-proofing can be carried out at a relatively low cost and with limited disruption. Such work will also significantly enhance the comfort of the building for its users and can potentially offer significant savings on fuel bills.
Insulation
The other area to consider is adding insulation to various parts of the building, such as the loft space, under suspended timber floors and around pipe-work. These are all easy to do with minimum disturbance to the building.
Other areas can be more difficult and are probably best tackled as part of a repair programme, such as re-roofing.
Adding insulation to some parts of a building can pose more risks than others. The main risk involves trapping moisture in areas where it can no longer easily evaporate such as in solid walls or around roof timbers.
One way of minimising this risk is to use vapour permeable insulation materials. Natural insulation such as sheeps’ wool, wood fibre board and hemp batts although often more expensive than those derived from minerals and petro-chemical products can be particularly suited to older buildings. This is because they are fully ‘breathable’ so can absorb and let out moisture without loss of thermal efficiency.
