PROPERTY Eco Victorian homes
New-builds are usually thought of as warm, fuel-efficient and ecofriendly, while period homes are seen as cold, draughty and expensive to heat. But now there’s a way of renovating older homes to make them as efficient as their younger neighbours – so much so, they don’t even need central heating
In the fashionable Manchester suburb of Chorlton are a pair of smart semi-detached Victorian villas that many people would regard as dream homes. With five bedrooms, lovely period features such as plaster cornicing, stained-glass windows and refurbished chandeliers, as well as converted basements, they’re extremely covetable.
But now they have even more to recommend them, as they can be classified as Europe’s first Passivhaus EnerPhit Plus homes, and have been cleverly designed and re-fitted to reduce energy use to the point where they don’t actually need central heating. Along with innovative low-maintenance features – such as super-tough, crack-resistant graphene paint and external cladding that is ‘pre-fossilised’ to guard against rot – this zero-energy approach will contribute to individual household savings of up to £5,000 a year.
One hundred pallets of insulation, largely made from recycled newspapers, help to maintain a year-round even temperature. In addition, an in-built Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery system (MVHR) includes a thermostatically controlled rooflight with an automatic rain sensor to provide passive cooling. Water from the
sinks directly flushes the loo and outside a Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS) made from recycled car tyres not only relieves stress on the drains but also keeps the drive weed-free.
‘Period semi-detached properties represent a huge portion of the UK’s housing stock, yet they’re one of the trickiest formats to upgrade,’ says Kit Knowles, whose specialist eco-consultancy, Ecospheric, undertook this ambitious retrofit. ‘One of the most difficult elements was deciding how to approach the front facade. With double-storey bays, brick detailing, stained glass and curved top windows, they’re a beautiful example of Victorian architecture. The glazing requirements alone were complex.’
Another challenge was replacing the internal skins of brick with timber structures to support the insulation, and then finishing them with organic lime plaster to allow the walls to breathe. As was fitting Photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roofs to power lighting and appliances and heat the hot water tanks – the first in the world with a thermocline (which ‘floats’ hot water on top of cold) control. However, as the homes generate more power than they use, their new owners will enjoy an added bonus – they will be able to sell the excess electricity back to the National Grid.