Resources for taking action in your home

This page provides links to resources where you can find out how to take action to make your home warmer and more energy efficient. (Please note this page is in development, and more content will be added in due course!)

General Information & Advice

• CHEESE Project Energy Saving Tips
• Improving warmth and comfort on Henbury Hill – written and produced by Rob Benington using CHEESE’s Heatview^TM thermal images with funding from Retrofit West and the Combined Authority of the West of England
• Awab’s Law on Mould and Damp help for tenants
• The Centre for sustainable energy provide a broad collection of useful information & advice
• https://www.cse.org.uk/my-home/ on a variety of topics, particularly on:
  • Help – https://www.cse.org.uk/my-home/how-we-help-you/
  • Advice – https://www.cse.org.uk/my-home/advice/
  • Fact sheets – https://www.cse.org.uk/resource/home-energy-fact-sheets/
  • Grants and Funding – https://www.cse.org.uk/my-home/grants-and-funding/

• 2015_bristolsolidwallinsulationguidance.pdf (sdfoundation.org.uk) is a comprehensive and user-friendly guide for sold wall insulation, commissioned by Bristol City Council and led by the Sustainable and Traditional Buildings Alliance (STBA).
• Super Homes network on low-energy retrofit.

• Mitchell & Dickinson Retrofit News (issue 1, PDF).
• New Homes Quality Board – Register of Developers
• Making Heat Visible: Promoting Energy Conservation Behaviors Through Thermal Imaging
• Sustainable Renovation Guide by The Pebble Trust
• Information for Listed Buildings from Bath & West Community Energy

Technical Information

• Moisture and damp:
  • Moisture guidance for existing homeowners (YouTube)
• Insulation:
  • Problems resulting from absent insulation (Tony Cowling, UKCMB)
  • Avoidance and diagnosis of problems associated with internal wall insulation (UKCMB)
  • Understanding best practice in deploying external solid-wall insulation and internal wall insulation in the UK (Gov.uk)
• Air pressure testing:
  • Air leakage testing Information sheet (PDF) (National House Building Council)

Ventilation terms and acronyms explanation

MVHR — Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery: A system that constantly brings fresh air into your home while recovering heat from the stale air it removes, helping keep energy costs down.
dMEV — Decentralised Mechanical Extract Ventilation: A small, continuously running extractor fan installed in individual wet rooms (like bathrooms) to quietly remove moist air all the time.
MEV — Mechanical Extract Ventilation: A ventilation system that continuously extracts stale, humid air from rooms like kitchens and bathrooms, letting fresh air enter through background vents.
IEV — Intermittent Extract Ventilation: Standard extractor fans that switch on only when needed (such as during cooking or showering) to remove moist air from specific rooms.

Finding Tradespeople

• The Green Register allows you to seach for construction professionals who have professional training in green building practices.
• DIY Doctor Find a Tradesman provides a way to fund trustworthy tradesmen, based on the Plentific market place.
• We Care and Repair provide a handyman service for those over 60 or disabled. They also have a small fund for an emergency free service for those who cannot pay.

Background Information

• UWE Housing Types in Bristol
• Energy Saving Trust Review of potential for carbon savings from residential energy efficiency, a report for the Committee on Climate Change (PDF).
• BEIS report on energy consumption in the UK (HTML).
• The Economics of Low Carbon Cities: A Mini-Stern Review for the City of Bristol (PDF).