Are traditional buildings really carbon villains? Why it matters when insulating solid walls
Abstract
This paper address the accusation that traditional buildings are energy inefficient, particularly with regard to the heat loss of solid walls. It compares measured and calculated U-values for these solid walls and discusses the discrepancy found between them, where measured U-values identify lower heat loss than conventional estimates. The paper looks at the implications of this with regard to broader energy assessment methods and how this may reconfigure assumptions of energy performance for traditional buildings. It also seeks to explain the importance of accurate heat loss assessment for solid walls in relation to retrofitting or refurbishment, particularly in the light of risks from moisture.
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Author's Biography
Caroline Rye has a background in both practical building and academic research. She completed one of the UK’s first practice-based PhDs at Napier University in 2000 and went on to work as a research fellow at the University of Bristol developing practice-as-research methodologies. In 2010 she undertook an MSc in historic building conservation and then, in collaboration with Cameron Scott, was able to combine her two interests in buildings and research through the formation of ArchiMetrics Ltd. Caroline is the author of a number of research papers and reports including The Responsible Retrofit for Traditional Buildings Report for the Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance (STBA) and was part of the team that delivered the STBA Retrofit Guidance Wheel. She is a technical consultant on behalf of the STBA and sits on the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings’ (SPAB) Technical Panel, for which, along with Cameron Scott, she has also undertaken research published as The SPAB Building Performance Research Reports. She has chaired the UK Centre for Moisture in Buildings Technical Working Group for monitoring and currently sits on the drafting panel for British Standards Committee CB/401-0-/01 – Building Performance Evaluation.
Citation
Rye, Caroline (2015, October 1). Are traditional buildings really carbon villains? Why it matters when insulating solid walls. In the Journal of Building Survey, Appraisal & Valuation, Volume 4, Issue 2. https://doi.org/10.69554/PDNU9426.
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