Energy Efficiency and Retrofit in Historic Buildings

Well considered maintenance and repair work should always be the first step to ensure the longevity of our built heritage. However, it is becoming increasingly important to adapt historic buildings, to make them more resilient to the effects of climate change and mitigate their impact on the environment.
Historic England has produced a new Advice Note to provide clarity and support consistent decision-making for proposals to reduce carbon emissions and improve the energy efficiency of historic buildings whilst conserving their significance and ensuring they remain viable places to live in the future.
The links below lead to our technical advice and guidance on climate change mitigation and adaptation for resilience, including energy efficiency, retrofit, and Net Zero. Also see our Climate Change action hub page for more advice and research including on climate change risks and the relevance of heritage to nature recovery projects.
In some instances, carrying out alterations which facilitate the introduction of additional or new uses is the most appropriate option to attract sustainable investment into an empty or underused building. By doing so, heritage can prove a catalyst for both social and economic change.
A recent study found that repurposing vacant and underused historic properties could provide up to 670,000 new homes across the country, while Historic England's 'Heritage Works for Creative Businesses' report demonstrates that reusing and redeveloping our built heritage has the potential to provide the spaces that cultural industries require.