22/07/2026
New project underway — assessing a house for a step-by-step low-energy retrofit, with the aim of improving comfort, upgrading the building fabric, glazing, insulation, airtightness and ventilation, and exploring what would be required to work towards the Passive House EnerPHit standard if achievable.
With the current heatwave, we are all scrambling around to find ways to cool us and our homes down. Simply installing air conditioning only is not necessarily the answer and doesn't address the underlying issues of poorly insulated and leaky homes. It is similar to leaving your fridge door open and expecting your food to stay fresh and then wondering why your electricity bill is so high. A well-considered retrofit should think about overheating, ventilation, shading, airtightness, insulation and how the house performs throughout the year as a way of reducing heat loss and energy bills which in turn helps to keep the building at a comfortable temperature.
This project will need to be approached step by step to suit the client’s budget, but with a clear whole-house plan from the outset. That is so important. Carrying out isolated repairs or upgrades without considering the long-term strategy can sometimes make future improvements harder, more expensive, or less effective.
Whether you are replacing windows, upgrading insulation, repairing walls, extending, or renovating, the best results usually come from looking at the home as one complete building — not a series of separate jobs.
A thoughtful retrofit plan can help improve comfort, reduce energy demand, avoid abortive work and create a clearer path for future upgrades.
Thinking about upgrading, extending or improving the comfort of your home? We’d be happy to help you understand what is possible and plan the right steps forward.
