Wilmcote House EnerPHiT

Wilmcote House  EnerPHiT had significant maintenance issues, and many residents were living in fuel poverty. Due to the cost and disturbance to residents, the Council decided against the demolition of Wilmcote House, and instead an ambitious retrofit project was undertaken.

With a budget between 100.000 and 1M€, it was the largest ever residential EnerPHiT project delivered with residents in-situ and has extended the building’s lifespan by 40 years. The flats are now warmer, more comfortable and attractive, and draughts and mould have been excluded. Most residents use their heating less as more heat is retained, which has saved them money on their electricity bills. Comprehensive retrofit of entire building using Passivhaus technology for all measures including insulation, improvements in air tightness, roof replacement, installation of triple glazed windows, extension of the living areas, more efficient heating and hot water systems, adjustment of the ventilation with heat recovery system. The project ran between 2010-2018, end date initially planned for Nov 2016.

Despite or perhaps because of the aforementioned problems, this project presents an honest picture of the challenges and benefits of performing retrofit projects which is valuable from a lesson learning perspective. The timeline of the project (8 years) is significant but this provides a realistic vision of the time needed carry out effective retrofit works at this scale, a useful lesson for multiple occupancy buildings. Useful case study as largest ever residential EnerPHiT project delivered with residents in situ.

The project started in 2010 and was completed in 2018.

Main beneficiaries: energy poor consumers

It addressed the topics of: hard to treat homes, health, heating and cooling system, indoor comfort (thermal comfort, housing quality), insulation, energy prices and equipment.