FEATURE: HISTORIC SCOTLAND – Energy Efficiency Conference 2014

This year’s Historic Scotland conference was yet again a wealth of information for the past, current and future of works in association with traditionally built buildings.

Tom Robinson and Kevin Stewart attended the event from Thomas Robinson Architects and were presented with best practices, guides and case studies for various forms of existing buildings, all with the common goal to improve their building insulation fabric.

Amongst other things, we learned that in 2015 there will be further changes to the Energy section of the Scottish Building Regulations.

In 2010 the regulations changes to achieve a reduction of 30% to what was previously required. In 2015, designs will require to achieve a further 43% reduction compared to 2010, with the standards now including “large extensions” which previously was not the case.

To achieve a reduction in energy usage, designs will require additional insulation and be less “leaky” to keep the warm air in. The result is that designers must be more aware than ever before of the environments they design, keeping air movement, moisture and detailing at the forefront of their design vision, otherwise buildings will become warm, humid and damp environments which are breading grounds for building and occupant health issues.

We look forward to applying the knowledge gained from the conference.

Kevin Stewart