Local authorities already offer pre-application advice to inform Listed Building Consent applications. However, a standard pre-app usually requires a homeowner to have decided on the scope of works proposed. For retrofit, this can result in unsuitable energy efficiency measures being progressed, or confusion about different types of measures and when these might be applicable.

A new Level 0 pre-app service was introduced, which does not require a proposal and is aimed at homeowners who are interested in improving the energy of their listed building but don’t know where to start. As part of the service, the council’s Conservation Officer attends a site visit and provides verbal and written advice on which measures might be suitable. By getting advice at the earliest stage, applicants can develop more suitable proposals and then submit a Listed Building Consent application with greater confidence.

Listed Building Champions are homeowners who received both a Service Level 0 pre-app from BANES Council and a home energy survey from BWCE. To get conservation and energy advice at the same time can inform homeowners and their proposals for consent, that are more suitable from both a conservation and energy perspective.

In return for this discounted service, Champions agreed to provide a public case study of their experience, with the aim to inspire others to sensitively retrofit their listed buildings.

Nationally, 93% of listed building consent applications were approved during the second quarter of 2022[i]. Despite this, there is a widely circulating perception that listed building consent will be refused. In a recent survey by DESNZ, there was support for the consent process to protect our heritage, but 75% of respondents felt that it was a barrier to retrofit. We aim to counteract this perception through sharing the positive stories of Listed Building Champions and through our easily accessible videos and materials.

Our Landlord Champions also received a heavy discount in return for sharing anonymous case studies. Both a council Conservation Officer and BWCE energy assessor visit the property to advise on suitable measures, impact on the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and exemptions from the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) regulations.

Listed buildings are not automatically exempt from the MEES requirement for rental properties to be EPC ‘E’ or above and there may be other local requirements, e.g. in Bath and North East Somerset, Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) need to achieve an EPC ‘C’.

Working with Bath and North East Somerset Council’s Empty Property Service, we offer energy and conservation advice on how to bring listed buildings back into use.  If you are the owner of a property that has been empty for six months and over, Bath and North East Somerset Council offers financial incentives and practical support.

Details can be found on the council website or by contacting the Empty Property Officer directly: empty_properties@bathnes.gov.uk or 01225 396411.

The ‘Retrofit Coordinator’ is a new role in the built environment sector – they are a qualified professional who can commission and manage building retrofit projects.

After an energy survey, homeowners often need further support. Through Green Heritage Homes, BWCE offer support to a limited number of households, for example by helping with developing a brief for works, or getting quotes from trusted installers or heritage consultants.

Please email us for more information: home.energy@bwce.coop.

Bath Preservation Trust (BPT) campaigns for and promotes the conservation, sustainable enhancement and celebration of the unique and historic City of Bath as a World Heritage Site.

BPT has long been a champion for historic retrofit. Through Green Heritage Homes, it is offering free energy advice for its members who own listed buildings, and is testing the potential for heritage groups to reach different audiences. 

Our webinars give homeowners and professionals a grounding in how to approach listed building retrofit.

Our ‘Spotlight Sessions’ are small in-person group sessions. They include a presentation from a Conservation Officer and BWCE energy expert, followed by the opportunity for homeowners to ask questions and get advice on their own homes.

As we add more renewable energy to the grid, the carbon emissions from operating our buildings reduces, and choosing retrofit measures with low embodied carbon becomes proportionally more important for tackling the climate crisis.

The natural traditional materials that usually work best for listed building retrofit also often have the lowest embodied carbon. We want to make this benefit more visible as an additional motivation for sensitive retrofit. We do this firstly through a simple factsheet comparing the embodied carbon of different material options, e.g. wood fibre board versus synthetic foam-based insulation.

Secondly, we work with People Powered Retrofit to update their Home Retrofit Planner retrofit assessment tool (used by BWCE and other organisations) to calculate embodied carbon impact of retrofit measures alongside operational carbon impact.