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This webinar was streamed on 9th November 2021, 7.00-9.00pm. It was the second in a series of two webinars, check our the recording of the first webinar on "Introduction to Retrofit in Conservation Areas" here.
For more information on how you can green your home, get in touch.
Learn how to protect the heritage qualities of your conservation area home, whilst making it fit for the future with a retrofit project.
About this Event
Many of us who live in conservation areas consider ourselves lucky enough to have beautiful, historic homes, which hold within them many memories, not only of our own but of generations before us.
Nevertheless, much as we love our homes, we're very familiar with the feeling of cold in the winter, the sometimes sweltering heat of those south-facing rooms in the summer, and generally, very expensive energy bills arriving through our letterboxes each month.
Now though, we also have to go beyond thinking about our own comfort and consider our home's impact on the environment. 40% of UK emissions come from households, and buildings in conservation areas are often the oldest and hardest to decarbonise.
Having said that, it's not an impossible mission, and there is a growing community of homeowners undertaking "deep retrofit" projects which look to protect the beauty of older buildings whilst upgrading the energy efficiency of the home through insulation, ventilation, renewable energy, and smart technologies.
Brookmill Road Conservation Area Society (BRCAS) has come together with South East London Community Energy Co-op (Selce) to host a webinar series, where we will explore a range of aspects relating to deep retrofit projects in South East London conservation area homes.
Through Selce's Future Fit Homes program, South East Londoners now have access to expert retrofit coordinators, who can guide them through the process of retrofit. These webinars also bring together a range of expert guest speakers to discuss the landscape for retrofit and practical solutions on how you can get started with your home.
Read below to find out more about our two webinar sessions, and our expert speakers from Historic England, Selce, and Arboreal Architecture. Please donate generously to support us in raising funds for the continuation of the positive work SELCE does in tackling climate change in South East London and of Brookmill Road Conservation Area’s (BRCAS) work in raising awareness of conservation issues.
“We are delighted to be working with SELCE, Historic England and our expert speakers to foster practical stewardship of this special area’s heritage." - Julia Rowntree, Chair
Our Speakers
We'd like to extend a special thanks to our expert guest speakers, who are giving their time for these webinars. Speakers for the second webinar include:
Retrofit Co-ordinator at South East London Community Energy Co-op
Dominic is a master’s graduate in environmental architecture and energy studies. He offers advice in his role as a retrofit coordinator at Selce, both to homeowners and landlords who are working on large deep retrofit projects, and to clients living in fuel poverty. He has also completed a course in retrofit in hisotric buildings. He has a keen interest in all aspects of sustainable living and has recently decided to eat vegan.
In his spare time, Dominic likes watching and playing many sports including cycling, tennis, golf, and football, and he also owns a VW campervan and a vintage scooter.
Founder/Managing Director at Retrofit Action for Tomorrow
Harry is an architect and founder/managing director of RAFT (Retrofit Action for Tomorrow).
Harry is a certified Passivhaus Designer and Technical Expert for the AECB, Sustainable Traditional Buildings Association and the Passivhaus Trust. He has over a decade of deep-retrofit experience on a range of historic and modern buildings from Georgian townhouses to a self-build Walter’s Way House in Lewisham.
Harry is currently working on 3 primary school retrofit projects in Lewisham and is a hands-on “DIY retrofitter” currently working on his own whole-house retrofit to the Passivhaus Enerphit standard in Honor Oak.
Sarah Freeman
Inspector of Historic Buildings and Areas at Historic England
Sarah works as an Inspector of Historic Buildings and Areas at Historic England in the Government Historic Estates Unit and previously within the London Development Advice team. Prior to that she worked as a Conservation Officer at the London Boroughs of Camden and Croydon and for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and the Theatres Trust. She also represents the Victorian Society on the Southern Synod Listed Buildings Advisory Committee of the United Reform Church.
Alongside building conservation, Sarah has a special interest in retrofitting traditional buildings, in 2019 embarking on her own deep-retrofit project of a 1902 mid-terrace house in Bournville, aiming to significantly improve energy performance, minimise embodied carbon and conserve and enhance the building’s character and historic fabric.
Chair of the Housing Retrofit Task and Finish Group at Lewisham Council
Councillor Krupski is heavily involved in the work of Lewisham Council to tackle climate change through supporting the energy efficiency retrofit of housing, as she is currently chair of both the Housing Retrofit Task and Finish Group, and the Sustainable Development Select Committee. She also has good knowledge of planning issues through her position on the planning committee and is the councillor for Rushey Green as a member of the Labour and Co-operative Party.
Agenda
7.00-7.10 - Recap and Introduction from Julia Rowntree, Chair of Brookmill Road Conservation Area Society
7.10-7.30 - Presentation - “Diving into deep retrofit” from Harry Paticas at Retrofit Action for Tomorrow
7.30-7.35 - Quiz
7.35-7.50 - Presentation on "Bournville Low Carbon Retrofit" from homeowner Sarah Freeman
7.50-8.05 - Short Break
8.05-8.15 - Presentation on "Lewisham Council's work on retrofit in domestic properties" from Cllr Louise Krupski
8.15-8.25 - Presentation on "Renewable Energy & Smart Homes" from Dominic Bercielli at South East London Community Energy Co-op
8.25-8.50 - Panel discussion with live Q&A
8.50-9.00 - Roundup and Close from Julia Rowntree, Chair of Brookmill Road Conservation Area Society
Where Your Donations Go
We encourage you to generously donate towards this event, to assist in covering the costs of organising the event, and support both BRCAS and Selce with their ongoing work in the community. You can find out more about both organisations on their websites.
The Society works to conserve and enhance the character and appearance of the Brookmill Road Conservation Area. The area is described as one of great architectural unity with a pronounced corniced parapet running the length of each terrace uniting the whole and featuring consistent use of London roofs giving a clear characteristic roofscape. They also monitor and respond to planning applications, consult with Lewisham Council on planning and conservation issues., and increase awareness of the area’s history and character through occasional talks, online and printed information.
“We are delighted to be working with SELCE, Historic England and our expert speakers to foster practical stewardship of this special area’s heritage." - Julia Rowntree, Chair
At South East London Community Energy, we're committed to supporting a green transition where no-one is left behind. That's why we run our fuel poverty alleviation program to support individuals that are having to choose between heating and eating.
We believe we're part of a quiet revolution - where the energy transition and social justice go hand in hand. All donations raised from this event will go into continuing our work in the community, to make London greener and cleaner, and alleviate fuel poverty.
Quote from Giovanna
This project is a social business set up by Selce to tackle the issue of homeowners being left with little support to reduce their carbon emissions. We employ trained specialists in buildings retrofit to support people through their journey, with impartial 1-1 advice, a free informational blog, events, thermal imaging surveys and more. If you would like to get started, you can book a free half-hour call with David or Dominic to figure out where you can start on your retrofit journey - just visit our website. All surpluses generated from this project go back into tackling fuel poverty in South East London.