Zero Carbon Daviot
Zero Carbon Daviot (ZCD) is a community run organisation which was established to bring about radical reductions in carbon emissions.
Zero Carbon Daviot (ZCD) is a community run organisation which was established to bring about radical reductions in carbon emissions, whilst improving the quality of life for the community by making homes warmer, the air cleaner and lives healthier. ZCD’s priority projects include the development of a retrofit programme for housing, development of community owned renewable energy generation, a pilot e-bike scheme and the development of a network of community paths.
The village of Daviot in Aberdeenshire has approximately 450 homes with an average EPC rating of D. ZCD identified that there are three main types of house present in the village. Therefore, in order to understand the best options for retrofitting local housing to improve energy efficiency, they commissioned John Gilbert Architects to carry out a study of three typical properties occupied by volunteer households. Each property selected was surveyed and a Whole House Retrofit strategy developed, supported by modeling of the potential energy savings. A ‘step by step’ approach was adopted in the retrofitting strategies proposed, recognising that it can be impractical to implement all proposed measures at the same time.
Key findings:
|
Property type |
Recommended retrofit measures |
Potential EPC improvement |
|
Modern (2017) 3 bed semi detached, |
Increased loft insulation, triple glazed windows and new doors, improved airtightness, mechanical heat ventilation with heat recovery, ground source heat pump, smart controls, battery, PV panels. |
C to B |
|
Late 80s/early 90s 4 bed detached |
External wall insulation, triple glazed windows and new doors, improved loft insulation, floor insulation, airtightness measures, mechanical extract ventilation, ground source heat pump, PV with battery. |
E to B |
|
Pre 1919 traditional stone built steading |
Internal wall insulation, triple glazed windows, improved loft insulation, airtightness measures, mechanical extract ventilation, ground source heat pump, PV panels with battery. |
E to B |
The full reports can be found here.
The study took place during January 2022, and was funded by a £2,000 award from the Vattenfall Unlock our Future Fund.
The three studies provided practical and place specific information to the local community so that they are better placed to understand what is likely to be required to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. As Matthew Clubb, a trustee of Zero Carbon Daviot explained:
Installing a heat pump without first installing fabric-efficiency measures can spell disaster, so it was important for people to understand what types of measures are required. The project has really helped people in the community start to understand what retrofitted homes of the future look like. Many of the volunteers learnt a lot about their houses and were surprised by some of the suggestions, like external wall insulation, not realising that their homes were suitable.
ZCD held an event to disseminate the findings of the report which was attended by 20 people with 30 more attending online.
The next step is to cost up the proposed measures for each house type and investigate funding options for householders unable to afford the works. ZCD also intends to look at training local tradespersons to carry out retrofit work and, alongside other partner organisations, develop a retrofit hub in the North East.