This article was produced for Sherborne Times, October 2022
We are in the middle of a two-pronged crisis; on the one hand we are threatened with insufficient fuel supplies, leading to energy prices rising beyond anything we’ve ever imagined – predicted to rise to £265 a month (gas + electricity) from October this year. And on the other hand, we have a climate crisis that is threatening our very future, with the possible loss of 200,000 homes in the UK due to irretrievable coastal flooding – and that includes the Somerset Levels. Unfortunately, the answer that we’re looking for that might save those communities is to stop using the very fossil fuels that we need to keep homes warm this winter.
So what can we do? Is there one answer that can help with both situations? It’s funny you should say that . . .
The aim of Insulate Sherborne is to provide advice about how we can all keep warm and to demonstrate that there are things that can be done that don’t cost money. And it’s all about keeping the heat in and not letting the draughts take it away.
How big is the problem? The Office of National Statistics (ONS) reckons that only 0.2% of properties in England rate an ‘A’ for energy efficiency, while a disastrous 60% rate ‘D’ or less, and thereby classed as ‘inadequate’. It gives us a good clue as to where our money is going – out through the fabric and those ill-fitting windows and doors.
Sherborne is an old town, full of gorgeous old buildings. But old buildings need a lot of maintenance and often need a lot of heating. Insulating old houses has never been an easy fix. Centuries-old building methods don’t necessarily lend themselves to easy-fix solutions. But there probably is a fix for the older property though . . . it won’t be an easy one.
Since the war, a significant number of homes have been built in the town, but unfortunately most of these 20th and even 21st century buildings still need bringing up to speed to make them warm and efficient. It is a great pity that, to date, no commercial house builder in Sherborne has produced passive, fully insulated – warm in winter, cool in summer homes that generate tiny energy bills. We hope any future building in Sherborne will be a different story and builders will take into account the changes in our climate.
Insulate Sherborne is working with Healthy Homes Dorset to provide advice and support to all home owners and renters. Regardless of our situation, there will be something that we can do to reduce heating bills. At the end of the day, we’re trying to keep whatever heat we generate inside our homes and to keep the cold winter air outside. Its like wearing an extra layer to trap the heat around our bodies, together with a scarf and a hat to keep the cold air away – that is what insulation is all about.
We have three things to think about; the walls with their windows and doors, the floors and the ceilings. And they are the places where we need to put our energy to save our energy. At one end of the scale we might make creative use of stuffed trouser legs as draft excluders and cling-film as double glazing (yes it works); while further along the street someone might be installing interior wall insulation in their barn conversion.
We have to talk about climate change.
Despite the cost-of-living crisis we still need to have this conversation. The heatwaves – storms –droughts – floods – wildfires are not happening by accident; and they are not happening because it’s ‘what the planet does anyway’. Let’s be clear. This is a human-driven crisis, caused by an excess of carbon dioxide (and other gases) in the atmosphere. The only thing that will save us is to reduce the amount of carbon that we produce. And that means we find ways of burning less fossil fuel and to be much more efficient in holding onto the heat that we use in our buildings.
The twentieth century was very good to us, world wars notwithstanding. Those of us who grew up with unheated bedrooms and bathrooms will still remember the discomfort that came with them, Central heating became the norm around fifty years ago, and there are now a couple of generations who have no recollection of those deprivations. It’s those generations who are now making the running with the climate debate. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
It’s better that we choose to work to improve the way that heat is retained in our buildings than to suggest that we all learn to wear more layers like granny did. Not that wearing more layers is a bad thing, of course, but house insulation techniques drive us towards more practical – and more comfortable – solutions to our soon-to-be-devastating climate problem.
To learn more about the ways that you can improve the thermal efficiency of your home, please visit the Advice and Resources section, where you’ll find downloadable Information Sheets on what you can do.
Insulate Sherborne was set up by the volunteers behind the Sherborne Repair Cafe – we are a not-for-profit organisation. Our aim is to spread the word about the steps we can take to keep warm this winter without it costing the earth.
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