6 C O N T E X T 1 5 0 : J U L Y 2 0 1 7 IHBC green panel A shambles of little investment, market failure, and responsibility for retrofit delegated to the industry John Preston writes: The IHBC’s Green Panel has been set up to give the institute a voice, and involvement, in what will arguably be the key issues for the historic environment in the coming years. All older buildings are now potential targets for retrofit measures; historic buildings and the historic environment (and the people and organisations who promote their conservation) are too often seen as obstacles to climatechange adaptation; renewable energy measures have their own impacts on buildings and the wider historic environment; and historic buildings and places have much to offer in terms of sustainable and healthy living. The Green Panel’s activity to date has focused on retrofit but I hope that over time the panel’s membership and activities will be able to cover a broader spectrum. The Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat general election manifestos all reiterated commitments to the Climate Change Act and its targets (including 80 per cent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 2050), and all included commitments to retrofit. The SNP manifesto was not available at the time of writing, but Labour’s proposal for homeowners to be offered interest-free loans to improve their property replicated a trial scheme already introduced in Scotland with SNP government backing. The stated manifesto commitments were in stark contrast to the current shambles in which there has been little investment, and consequent market failure, since the last government scrapped the Green Deal in 2015 and delegated responsibility for retrofit to industry through the Bonfield Review. Each Home Counts is proceeding slowly towards implementation (or, as others see it, the long grass). Energy Company Obligation (ECO 3), set up to tackle fuel poverty, continues, with a commitment to 21,000 solid-wall insulation installations per year. Whether the headline is climate change or fuel poverty, the clear message is that the traditional building stock will be under ever-increasing pressure for retrofit. The Private Rented Sector Regulations come into full force in April 2018, with both government and the sector woefully unprepared, and as the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) notes: ‘New regulations coming into force in April 2018 are set to make it illegal to rent out properties that do not meet new energy efficiency standards.’ The CLA’s report The Retro Fitup1 is a succinct and devastating critique not only of the situation for private-rented sector properties, but also of SAP ratings and EPCs generally. This report was produced well before the general election was called, but clearly did not reach the writers of the party manifestos. The outcome is that the manifestos included major commitments to reach a standard (Band C), which is based on a flawed assessment and calculation process, and which is not appropriate to the often-rural traditional buildings which are going to be key targets of fuel-poverty initiatives. What to do? The National Trust convened a meeting attended by heritage-sector bodies at which we agreed to write jointly to, and seek an early meeting with the new secretary of state as soon as possible.We also agreed on the urgent need to build contacts with our ‘natural’ counterparts (such as theWorldWildlife Fund and CPRE) to build understanding of the need to press for appropriate (rather than just any) retrofits. The Sustainable Traditional Building Alliance intends to promote repairs and maintenance, and agreement on best practice in retrofit, to enable us to go to the secretary of state with solutions, not just problems. Further evidence of the problems is emerging gradually. At the Redress Project at Fishwick, Preston, for example, £4 million has had to be spent on redress work by E.ON on 62 out of nearly 400 properties. What can the IHBC and its Green Panel bring to the party? One suggestion made in the panel taster sessions at May’s Council+ meeting was that the IHBC could provide a succinct advice note to building owners on how to make older houses more energy efficient and comfortable. The institute and its members in both public and private sectors are well placed both to give advice and hear owners’ experiences, whether through direct professional contacts or through visiting Open Eco-Homes and similar events. Please send me (and through me, to the Green Panel) your ideas and examples, and let me know if you would like to get involved. John Preston, convenor, IHBC Green Panel, and heritage chair, Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance, jpreston@ phonecoop.coop Reference 1 www.cla.org.uk/retrofitup
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