This semi-detached dwelling was built in the construction boom period of post-war Britain.
As part of the Greenfields Community Housing decent homes scheme, it was scheduled for a whole-house refurbishment, including renewal of the kitchen bathroom and heating system.
The project was awarded maximum BREEAM credits in the water, waste, management and ecology categories, and the refurbished building also scored well in the energy, materials and health and wellbeing categories.
Refurbishment followed the ‘fabric first’ approach, whereby the energy demand was reduced by adding more loft and wall insulation, and installing new windows and doors with lower U values.
This approach reduced carbon emissions from 122.77kgCO2/m2/year to 61.85kgCO2/m2/year – an improvement of 49%.
Water use has been reduced by installing dual-flush toilets, flow restrictors on taps and showers, as well a bath with low water capacity. This has reduced the water consumption to less than 100 litres per person per day.
In order to reduce the waste produced while the house is inhabited, a 30 litre fixed recycling bin has been provided in the kitchen, and the property is included on the doorstep recycling scheme by the Braintree district council.
More information: www.breeam.org