Retrofits in Barnet, London

The measures we completed were:

•    Extractor fans in kitchen and bathroom
•    Door undercuts
•    Trickle vents in the windows
•    Roof vent tiles and lap vents
•    Loft insulation 
•    Cavity wall insulation

The retrofit work started at the beginning of November and our retrofit installers finished the work just before Christmas with the resident handover being competed in January 2024.

Below are photos of the loft before and after the insulation work was completed.

Our Sustainability Engagement Lead visited resident Miss Shabbir to find out how she had found the retrofit process and to ask if she thought it was beneficial.

Miss Shabbir reported she noticed the change in temperature in her home straight away. Her home is not only warmer, but also retains the heat for much longer once the boiler has gone off. As a result of having the cavity wall insulation, she has noticed less draughts through the skirting boards and the new bathroom fans has tackled the mould issue. 

She said the installation contractor was very approachable. They always kept her informed and carried out the work in a professional manner. 

I would recommend working with Southern Housing to get retrofit work completed on your home, as the benefits of a warmer home that requires less energy to heat is brilliant.

The measures we completed were:

•    External wall insulation
•    Loft insulation
•    Extractor fans
•    Door undercuts
•    Trickle vents
•    Roof vent tile and lap vent. 

As we were installing external wall insulation at this address, we consulted with the local council’s planning department to ensure we were compliant with all regulations. Our retrofit installer collaborated with the council’s planning department and ensured the councils representative had access to the home for all required building regulation checks.

External wall insulation (EWI) is a process that involves attaching a layer of insulation to the outside of a building's walls and then covering it with a protective coating.

This work takes longer than cavity wall insulation and is more intrusive. The residents at this property kindly let us use their driveway for a skip, both for work on their home and a neighbouring home. This helped with the smooth running of the project as we didn’t need to get planning permission for skips on the roads and it was less invasive for the neighbours.

The retrofit assessment picked up issues with the roof. We worked closely with our Capital Investment Team to rectify these issues as part of the retrofit work. 

Resident Ms Gregory said the work went very well. The installers kept her informed at all stages. She said they explained all the measures, what they involved and the benefits she would get from them. Ms Gregory said the finished external wall insulation gave her home a nice, smart cleaner look and she noticed the benefits of the work straight away. Her home was warmer and in February her heating bills were reduced.

The retrofit assessment identified the following measures needed to be installed at this home:

•    External wall insulation
•    Loft insulation
•    New extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom
•    Door undercuts
•    Trickle vents in the windows.

The residents of this property allowed us to use their driveway for the skips. This made it easier and quicker for the retrofit installer to keep the site clean and tidy. 

The ability to add new trickle vents to the existing windows meant we were able to keep the costs of the project lower, while still ensuring that we met the requirements of the ventilation strategy.

The retrofit installer finished the work at this home in January 2024, ensuring all residents received a bespoke handover book. At the handover meeting, the residents have an opportunity to raise any concerns still outstanding and the Resident Liaison Officer goes through the handover process. The handbook is specific to each home and covers all the measures completed. It gives instructions for the residents on how to look after the measures installed, what they can do and what they’re not able to do. For example, residents are not allowed to attach anything to the external walls of their home if they have external wall insulation. This is because it will breach the fabric of the building and allow moisture into the walls. The handover book also covers who to call for any snagging or issues moving forward and how to operate any technologies for example extractor fans

Mrs Eames has lived in her home in Mays Lane for the last 27 years. She was keen for the work to be completed as she said she understood the energy efficiency measures we were trying to achieve. 

She said the building work was a lot easier to live with than expected and the staff from Vinci Facilities were kind and courteous. 

Mrs Eames said her bedroom has two outside walls and was always freezing when she went upstairs at night. Last year, following the external wall insulation and other retrofit measures, this was not the case.
 
She no longer has to put the heating on at 6.30 am as her home is warm and it retains its heat for much longer periods of time. 

The measures identified were:

•    External wall insulation
•    Loft insulation
•    Extractors fans in the kitchen and bathroom
•    Door undercuts
•    Trickle vents in the windows
•    Roof vent tile and lap vents.

The home had a combination of render and brick slip following the installation of the external wall insulation. Brick slips, are thin slices of brick that are used to replicate the look of real brickwork.

Ms Simpson said the work took longer than expected due to the weather. Vinci Facilities rendered the front of the home and then it rained and washed it away and it had to be re done. She’s really happy with the finished result, especially the brick slips and has said she has had compliments from her neighbours on how nice her home looks. 

She said her home warms up quicker and stays warm for longer which she greatly appreciates.