Insulation vs Ventilation etc: How buildings ‘work’ in relation to retrofit

Knowing how our buildings manage energy, heat, moisture and air movement is fundamental to understanding energy efficiency and successful retrofit and improvement, without the risk of unintended consequences in the longer term. As part of the Climate Fringe, the Edinburgh Building Retrofit and Improvement Collective is proud to put on this hybrid event, with guest speaker Jon Stinson PhD, academic, researcher and Director of locally-based Building Research Solutions Ltd.

There will be an introduction to the Collective before a presentation from Jon on the principles of building physics as applied to successful, healthy, domestic energy efficiency retrofit, followed by a Q&A session. The aim is to give Edinburgh residents an overview of the technical fundamentals to help puzzle through energy efficiency and building performance uncertainties (but without the scary maths). By the end of the session you should, for example, understand the distinctions between unwanted draughts and essential ventilation, and why commonplace foam block internal wall insulation might not be a good idea for traditional (pre 1919) buildings in the city.

We want to help create an educated public able to:understand why energy efficiency is not as simple as blocking every draught and insulating everything;gather the information advisable for making informed decisions;understand when ‘obvious choices’ may benefit from careful consideration or expert advice;ask the right questions and understand when recommendations may be based on poor understanding or insufficient knowledge.

Every building is different and every tenement is more than a collection of independent flats. Fully informed choices on what best to do in a particular property require knowledge of the particulars of that property/building. Generic recommendations given without such knowledge (for example from telephone advice services) are not always the best advice, but individual detailed analysis and advice can be expensive. This presentation will help you advance more confidently.

Please note that because of the uniqueness of every case, the Q&A will not be a ‘surgery’ on what should be done in specific properties, but will answer more general questions and clarify any uncertainty about the technical issues described.

After the event, those present at the venue will be able to mingle and chat/discuss in order to make useful contacts and to meet some of the team behind the Edinburgh Building Retrofit and Improvement Collective. The Collective wants people to be better informed and more confident in considering the issues, as well as to encourage individuals to work in community groups in order to get better results, cheaper, more easily and with less stress.

The presentation will be recorded and made available for future reference. Online attendees will also be able to join the Q&A session.

The venue is not the easiest to find. Details are given on the Quaker Meeting House website: https://www.equaker.org.uk/locationThe Collective wishes to acknowledge the support of funding from the City of Edinburgh Council’s ‘Edinburgh Community Climate Fund’, thanks to the votes of residents of the city.