Top of Tenements
TOP OF TENEMENTS PROJECT
The Top of Tenements Project was a pilot demonstration project installing sources of renewable energy in the top floor properties of pre-1919 stone built tenements in Edinburgh.
This followed the monitoring of an earlier LEEP (now Changeworks) initiative the Carbon Reduction in Tenements Project, which demonstrated the energy efficiency improvements to the whole tenement achieved by treating the roof space.
Pre-1919 stone built tenements represent one quarter of all housing in Edinburgh. Very few of these tenements have any kind of property management system in place. Efforts to address this are being driven by The City of Edinburgh Council through organisations like Edinburgh Stair Partnership, Edinburgh Private Sector Property Managers Forum and Raise the Roof.
Many of these tenements are in the privately owned or privately rented sector and it is often difficult to establish what kind of heating systems are installed and the overall efficiency with which energy is used in the properties.
In terms of physical measures to improve energy efficiency, stone tenements are difficult to improve since their construction does not allow for the more obvious insulation measures such as cavity wall insulation. The easiest measures to install e.g. energy efficiency lightbulbs, draught proofing and loft insulation were highlighted in the Tenement Fact Sheets produced by the Warmburgh Unit on behalf of The City of Edinburgh Council in 2004.
The Top of Tenements Project included innovative energy solutions with the installation of heat recovery ventilation systems in the loft areas, loft insulation and solar water heating. The top of tenement properties were the only ones to benefit from these, not least because of access and legal issues which would otherwise occur in relation to ducting and service runs in common areas.
Seven properties had solar water heating, heat-recovery ventilation and loft insulation installed. The project monitored these installations and addressed issues relating to building warrants and planning consents. The project also developed a model of neighbour consent for individuals to use in relation to common areas. This consent model could be used to address a wide range of issues. The project outcomes were published in the final report in February 2006.
In the longer term the project outcomes may lead to the development of technical guidance to encourage individuals understand and embrace these technologies and increase the take-up of these measures, ultimately reducing the costs.
The project was funded by the Energy Saving Trust. It began in April 2004 and ran until early 2006.
For more information about the Top of Tenements Project, please contact us on: 0131 468 8652 or rbarnham@changeworks.org.uk.
Or you can write to us at:
Top of Tenements
Changeworks
36 Newhaven Road
Edinburgh
EH6 5PY
Tenement Fact Sheet 1: Loft insulation, draughtproofing of stair doors and windows, adding a draught lobby door
Tenement Fact Sheet 2: Draughtproofing of doors and windows and between floorboards; secondary and double glazing
Tenement Fact Sheet 3: Solid wall insulation and under floor insulation for ground floor flats
Tenement Fact Sheet 4: Selecting an appropriate heating system and heating controls
Tenement Fact Sheet 5: General information on energy efficiency improvements in tenements
Tenement Fact Sheet 6: Solar water heating, photovoltaics, heat recovery ventilation, domestic wind turbines, ground and air source heat pumps and community energy solutions
