There are many archetypes of domestic buildings in Haringey, such as Victorian terraces and semi-detached houses. Some combination of measures might work better for certain archetypes due to how they were built.
It can be hard to choose what the best retrofit measures are for your home, as each home is unique, and it requires its own retrofit solution.
A whole house retrofit is a complete plan for home improvements. It is important to have a whole house retrofit plan in mind, rather than implement single measures. You may not be able to do all the retrofit works in one go, so it is important to ensure the measures are carried out in the right order and will work with each other as a whole.
One way to start can be to focus on improving the energy performance of your home. While you can do your own research, there are helpful online tools available to use and you can also appoint an independent energy consultant to advise you.
Energy Performance Certificate
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) shows you the property’s energy efficiency level. The ratings are from A (best) to G (worst). It is valid for 10 years.
The EPC tells you about a property’s current energy use and typical energy costs; and the ways to improve its energy efficiency and therefore the costs that you can save.
You must have an EPC when you sell, rent out or build a new property. You can go here to check if there is already a valid EPC for your property.
If your property does not have an EPC, you can arrange an EPC assessment to be carried out by an EPC assessor.
Online platform – Snugg
Snugg is an online platform free for homeowners. It requires the address of your property, and it will generate an energy efficiency plan for your property, as well as grants and funding options that the homeowners might be eligible for.
UK Green Building Council have a good introduction to this platform. Or go to the Snugg website to read about Snugg directly.
Ecofurb by Parity Projects
Haringey has partnered with Parity Projects to provide a free online retrofit advice tailored to an individual property to help identify a package of energy efficiency measures that is likely to your home and budget. As part of the plan, they also offer quotes from vetted installers for the recommended works.
Independent consultants
There are a lot of independent consultants providing retrofit advice, such as an energy consultant, architect or PAS certified Retrofit specialist. A professional consultant can guide you through the process of retrofit which can be complex and daunting. It is important to speak to a couple of consultants and compare their quotations.
PAS 2035 is a government produced standard setting out the best practice for energy efficiency and “whole house” retrofits. It requires the use of PAS certified Retrofit specialists. You can read an introduction here or download PAS 2035.
There are other independent certification bodies for high-performance, low-carbon retrofitted buildings, for example AECB CarbonLite Retrofit and Passivhaus EnerPHit. If you want to retrofit your home to meet these standards, you will need to help from consultants who specialise in this.