Heritage body the Society for the Protection of Older Buildings (SPAB) and a number of organisations and individuals in the conservation sector, have called for Government to consider the needs of pre 1919 buildings under the Green Deal.

In a joint letter to the energy secretary Chris Huhne and The Times, dated 1 August, SPAB stresses it is “seriously concerned” that the Government's drive to upgrade older buildings to be more energy efficient through the Green Deal could be “storing up expensive future problems for both building fabric and human health.”

“Inappropriate forms of insulation and the sealing up of interiors take little account of the fact that these buildings, which number millions, perform differently from modern ones and need to 'breathe',” states the letter. “They are likely to require a different approach, in particular over the movement of moisture within them.”

SPAB says its current research into the energy efficiency performance of a range of older properties suggest the buildings “perform better than expected,” - 79% of buildings sampled fall into the better than expected category, SPAB says.

“While we strongly support the aim of reducing carbon emissions from the nation's building stock, we call on the Government to involve bodies knowledgable about old buildings in research and planning for the Green Deal,” the letter concludes.

Among the letter's signatories are Kevin McCloud, The National Trust, the Institute of Historic Building Conservation and the Alliance for Sustainable Building products.

http://www.spab.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/press-release/?ContentID=186