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How to make the most of your retrofit renovation


  • You have to decide what your retrofit renovation aims are; comfort, energy saving or carbon reduction. Air-tightness works, ventilation and triple glazed windows give the best improved comfort, whereas replacing your gas boiler with a heat pump will see a big carbon reduction.
  • Think about your home as a complete system. Changing one element may affect others. Have a complete retrofit renovation plan to avoid unwanted and unintended consequence.
  • We would use natural insulations and plasters in retrofit works. This is especially the case if the insulation is being applied internally. They have the added benefit of improving internal air quality generally.

Decide what your retrofit renovation aims are; comfort, energy saving or carbon reduction. Think about your home as a complete system. Changing one element may affect others.


If you’re extending, as well as renovating, you should definitely consider timber frame for the structure as it has lower embodied carbon.

  • Ventilation is the least understood aspect of retrofit works. Air quality is hugely important  for your and your home’s health. It can only really be guaranteed with a mechanical ventilation system. If the system has heat recovery you’re not letting in cold air to get the improved air quality.
  • Removing gas or oil (and wood burning) as a heat source is key to reducing emissions in your heating. An air source or ground source heat pump will drastically reduce carbon emissions as the electricity grid continues to decarbonise.
  • If you’re extending, as well as renovating, you should definitely consider timber frame for the structure as it has lower embodied carbon. Combine this with natural insulations and high performance triple glazed timber or timber/aluminium composite windows.

Got a retrofit renovation project in mind?

Our new retrofit strategy service ensures you take the right steps, in the right order, to maximise benefits for your home.


  • Try and achieve the best performance you can with any new structures. You will never go back again and improve them later. The same goes for retrofit renovation works. You may be happy to change your kitchen in 20 years but not the insulation to the walls or roof.
  • Foundations for extensions are still likely to be concrete. There are lots of builders and engineers developing alternative methods, but these aren’t mainstream yet. Being careful to minimise concrete use with efficient structures is a great start, though.
  • The law of diminishing returns definitely applies to retrofit renovations. Achieving the very highest performance is often prohibitively expensive, especially with older properties. Achieving good, rather than perfect, is probably the best way to go. Find the right balance between cost and benefit.

Achieving the very highest performance is often prohibitively expensive, especially with older properties. Achieving good, rather than perfect, is probably the best way to go.