Heating Solutions for Listed Period Property

Here at CLPM we often provide heating solutions for old houses. We’re experts at heating older buildings and many clients approach us to help them make their cold and draughty pre-war or historic homes more comfortable and cheaper to heat.

This case study is fairly typical, and illustrates how we can give expert impartial heating advice to help you choose best heating system for your old house and ensure your renovation works create a warmer, more energy efficient home.

THE PROJECT

Our client lived in a large grade 2 listed property in Derbyshire. The original part of the house dated back to 1623 but the property had been added to repeatedly over the next three hundred years. The property has been in the owner’s family for over 100 years and our client was in the process of drawing up plans for its renovation when he asked us to help him establish the best options for replacing the heating system in his old house.

THE CHALLENGE

Whilst this was a general home refurbishment project, a major part of the work was to ensure that the house was comfortable and heated effectively – something which had never been before. Our client was also keen to understand what sustainable technologies were available for heating older homes, and which might be appropriate for his particular project.

THE SOLUTION

When given a brief such as this, we can sometimes offer help remotely by using architectural plans and photos to give us the information we need to provide our advice. However the complexity of the construction of this property, combined with the scale of the refurbishment plans meant it was important to visit the property and carry out a full survey.

Rob Bohm, our heating consultant carried out a survey of the house and talked at length with the owner to understand his concerns – as well as get a feel for how he and his family lived in their home. This enabled Rob to understood the situation more fully, and he was then able to talk at length about the various options available and give suggestions for what the client could do to improve his renovation plans.

THE RESULT

Rob surveyed the property and produced a written report which outlined a number of different suggestions.

This started with recommendations to improve the energy performance of the building. He issued outlined how to improve the efficiency of the fabric of the building – giving specific recommendations for what actions could be taken by area by the builder. These recommendations would make the building envelope more energy efficient by boosting the insulation where possible, improving its air-tightness and reducing draughts.

Rob also suggested a scheme for a more efficient heating and hot water system which our client was able to use to brief his building contractors. His proposal was to install a system which involved a mix of conventional and renewable technologies that would be both more suitable for his needs and be a more sustainable choice versus a fossil fuel solution.

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CLPM Services used by our client:-

Heating and Energy Consultancy.