Energy Heritage Project

A ground breaking new study, funded by Edinburgh World Heritage, has demonstrated how simple energy saving measures can have a dramatic effect in making historic homes more energy efficient.

The issue is of real importance in Edinburgh where around 75% of the buildings within the World Heritage Site are listed, but there is also a need to reduce household energy bills and alleviate fuel poverty

The Energy Heritage Project has been a partnership between Edinburgh World Heritage, and the sustainable development organisation Changeworks. As a case study the project focused on nine category B- listed Georgian tenement flats within the World Heritage Site, owned by Lister Housing Co-operative.

A series of simple non-invasive energy saving measures were introduced such as secondary glazing, draught proofing, replacing shutters, floor and loft insulation, low energy lighting and energy advice visits. The results were:

• The annual energy costs of each flat were reduced by an average of £175 (in some cases up to £400).
• Annual CO2 emissions of each flat were reduced by an average of over 1 tonne (in some cases 2.4 tonnes).
• Annual energy consumption of each flat was reduced by an average of 5,000 kWh (in some cases up to 12,000 kWh).

The lessons learned from the project have been published in a comprehensive guide for householders and professionals, published by Changeworks with support from Edinburgh World Heritage and Eaga Partnership Charitable Trust. This interactive guide is available for free download below.

What happens next?
• Edinburgh World Heritage will use these findings to produce a leaflet for householders, giving straight forward advice on energy efficiency for historic homes.
• Therese Eriksson and Tobias Petterson, two engineering students from the University of Uppsala, are researching the costs and potential carbon savings of implementing the measures throughout the entire World Heritage Site. 

Download a copy of the Energy Heritage Report (pdf 3.9MB)