The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has launched a free guide to making homes more energy efficient.
The retrofitting advice, available on the RICS website, is aimed at consumers and follows the institution’s industry focused guide released in March last year.
Topics covered by the new guide include heating, appliances, ventilation, insulation and professional energy audits. It was produced by the RICS in conjunction with the Residential Professional Property Group Panel (RPPGP), a panel of built environment industry professionals with key contributions from Richard Fitton, Professor of Building Performance at the University of Salford.
The Institution said the timing of the guidance coincided with ‘increasing public interest’ in retrofitting, as homeowners seek energy efficiencies to tackle rising energy costs. The work is ‘crucial for the transformation of the UK into a net zero nation,’ they added.
Commenting on the guidance, RPPGP panel chair Emma Fletcher MRICS said:
“This guide was prepared by surveying professionals who, whilst having a deep understanding of the technology and data, have managed to translate their learning into simple measures on how to occupy our homes more efficiently, alongside helpful signposting to where guidance and funding may be available.”
According to the Climate Change Committee (CCC), residential retrofits need to increase to a rate of 500,000 per year from 2025, and one million per year by 2030 to meet the government’s net-zero target.
Fletcher concluded:
“The need for retrofit is evolving quickly and this guide is one to bookmark as this sector continues to mature.”
