Historic England Insulating Roofs

Energy efficiency and historic buildings.

Historic england insulating roofs. The full range of guidance is available from the english heritage website. Traditional single glazing isn t a good insulator. Insulating pitched roofs at rafter level. Cold roofs versus warm roofs.

Historic buildings insulating flat roofs this guidance note is one of a series which explain ways of improving the energy efficiency of roofs walls and. Published 30 november 2015. Insulating roofs at rafter level insulating at ceiling level insulating flat roofs insulating thatched roofs vernacular slate and stone roofs in england. Around 25 per cent of heat loss occurs through a building s roof but high levels of insulation in historic roofs can be counter productive sometimes even accelerating heat loss in the long term.

High levels of ventilation can usually be achieved which reduces the possibility of any condensation occurring within the cold roof space. Other measures are often cheaper and easier for example insulating and draught proofing windows and doors and insulating roofs and floors. Historic england 2016 energy efficiency and historic buildings. Insulating in and around your roof attic space also prevents long term damage from moisture build up or ice damming which results from the warm air trying to escape through the apex of the roof but instead heating up the snow.

Insulating pitched roofs at rafter level. And current best practice. Jonathan taylor s article unpacks the key issues including the role of moisture ventilation and buffering. Historic england holds an extensive range of publications and historic collections in its public archive covering the historic environment.

It is not uncommon to find that bats use a roof space. Bats do not pose a significant threat to the building fabric or the health of the occupants and under section 9 of the wildlife and countryside act 1981 it is an offence to intentionally damage destroy or obstruct access to any place used by bats even when bats are apparently absent or to disturb bats while roosting. You can insulate a traditional building in a various ways to reduce heat loss and save energy. Additionally insulation serves as a way to enhance sound proofing on the uppermost envelop of your house.

There is a lot of information about roofing on historic england s website but it can be hard to find. Floors in historic buildings. Careful thought must be given to the insulation that best suits a building s original fabric. Insulating pitched roofs at ceiling level historic england.

Insulating roofs at ceiling level for most roofs placing insulation above the ceiling of the top floor can be cheaply and easily achieved without significant modification.