Refurbishment outreach - Sheffield Eco Terrace

September 2009 update

The Eco-terrace project in Page Hall, Sheffield has progressed a great deal since our last update.

The initial installation problems encountered with fixing the Spacetherm solid wall insulation to the engineering bricks used throughout the property were swiftly overcome. A new configuration for the room in the roof has been decided upon which reduces the potential heat loss due to thermal bridging at junctions. Slate tiles have been reclaimed from the original property where possible and new ones sourced from Wales, and an optimised approach to combine the solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV) collectors onto a very tight roof space has been arrived at all within a few weeks of the refurbishment process.

July saw the Energy Saving Trust visit the site to carry out a 'toolbox talk' with KIER, the contractors and the sub-contractors involved with the project. The theme of the presentation and Q & A session was that everyones job on site can have an impact on the overall energy performance of the completed project. So a focus on paying attention to detail such as ensuring insulation is gap free and service penetrations and fittings don¿t leak air (and hence energy) is crucial for each member of the team. Our feedback shows that this event was successful in that all the contractors who attended, reported that they better understood how their work directly affects the energy performance of a project and that they would use this information on future projects.

During the project, Sheffield City Council were awarded Beacon status for the better homes for future category for this work and a number of other forward thinking regeneration projects throughout the city which sets them apart as leaders within the local authority sector.

Next steps for this project are to complete the final works (including decoration, finishes and commissioning of services) and conduct a final airtightness test, thermographic test and SAP modelling of the completed project. This is all due to happen by early October before the launch event. Sheffield City Council Regeneration unit are also conducting talk-shops with local trades people and residents on energy efficiency in refurbishment and building regulations as part of a wider knowledge sharing programme.

You can read previous Sheffield Eco Terrace updates here.

February 2009

May 2009