Insulate!!: Mass retrofit of houses in England and Wales done by clubs of owner-occupiers

This book is written with the lay reader in mind. S/he is fearful, how will their kids and their kids make out on a planet that is burning?

Whilst others must do other things there is one thing an owner-occupier can do: properly insulate their house. But since next door must be good too, first engage their neighbours so that clubs of them can do what is necessary house-by-house along the street.

So, with a view to reducing global warming, Insulate!! tells how owner-occupiers in a street may club together to properly insulate their houses, not just the lofts. It starts with words of comfort. It then advises on appointment of

·       professionals eg architects, surveyors, engineers, physicists:

·       sourcing finance and

·       appointing insurers especially some to monitor workmanship.

Professionals then help the club choose a retrofit builder.

Retrofit will normally be done with people staying in their homes. Insulation suggested for upper walls is external, in ground storeys it may best be internal, rooms being surrendered for a working day for its installation. 

Following consultation, construction methods and specifications will be determined by the professionals.

Costs will be met by mortgages paid off over some years, amounts being similar to previous electricity and gas bills.

First there will be some trailblazing years following which mass retrofit in England and Wales will be happening widely and completed by 2040. So retrofit will become an industry bigger than the house construction industry now is.

Sometimes houses will have defects that need repair first. So, surveys are carried out in advance using methods old and new including drone theodolites.  Then listings of bulging walls etc can be made and engineers can advise remedial measures.

The social aspects of mass retrofit are considered including the appearance of streets, the author shedding tears that English suburban streets will never look the same again. However the book often has a light touch. Some may find the Cast List in an Appendix just too light-hearted!

The sudden death of an owner or calamities that could not be foreseen means a house drops out of the current programme with insurers paying for this work to be done later. If there are unanticipated findings in a house, insurers pay for the occupiers to move elsewhere for a month or three, the kids being taxied to school at insurer's expense.

Five chapters take the novice owner-occupiers through the stages, starting with WhatsApp through to final tidy-up.

Following mass retrofit an Energy Passport is issued for each house. Houses that have already stood for decades or even from Victorian times will then be ready for the 22nd century.