I’ve got energy efficiency and performance on my mind. I have just received welcome news that we achieved the targeted ‘C’ for our EPC – Energy Performance Certificate on our Surrey Victorian development project
How have we boosted the Energy efficiency for a Victorian house?
Well we didn’t do anything whizzy. Just good old-fashioned insulation and quality building.
Now you might be thinking that isn’t so impressive. However let me give the context. The main house is a Victorian semi-detached house. We retrofitted the existing main house as well as extending it.
Catering for the long term Energy-performance now – in preparation for 2030 – helps with the profitability of buy-to-let investments. By holding long term we minimise churn rate expenses -that is the sale and purchase costs when regularly buying and selling.
Oh and the bonus is we increased the floor space by 43%! From 72 sqm to 103 sqm. That brought a smile to my face. I had done a rough-and-ready calculation and thought it would be 93 sqm. So I was delighted.
It’s all in the U-Value. That is thermal transmittance and how effective a material is at insulation. The lower the value, the more efficient the material.
For our specification we had the standard new build insulation which complied with and exceeded Building Regulations.
And for the retrofit of the original Victorian part of the house:
Ground floor – 150mm PIR board (Polyurethane Insulation) between floor joists U-Value 0.15 (W/m2.k)
First floor 100mm acoustic rock wool insulation between joists
Existing solid single skin brick wall – 62.5 mm PIR board and 50 mm gap U-value 0.28
Loft 100mm PIR board packed between the roof rafters and a further 100mm on top of the ceiling joists. U-value 0.12
And as I’ve discovered, it’s all very well having a great specification, and a sexy-looking Schedule of Works. But if it isn’t followed through on site to check that that is indeed what the builders have done, then the EPC might as well go out of the window.
You can check a property’s EPC rating here
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My business focuses on helping time-strapped professionals and expats who don’t have the local presence, or capacity, to acquire the ‘right’ properties for them. Property Venture® is an award-winning, Boutique property consultancy that specialises in bespoke sourcing. We focus on de-risking investing for clients.
Disclaimer: Property Venture® is not a legal adviser. The information has been outlined in layman’s terms to guide and inform. It is not offered as advice. Intending purchasers should not rely on information given as statement of fact but must satisfy themselves by inspection or otherwise as to its accuracy.
Tags: Buy to let, Energy-efficiency, investment property