Improving Energy Performance
Cloughton village lies at the heart of one of our oldest Yorkshire estates and forms part of the Duchy’s ancient inheritance. The High Street comprises 20 Duchy-owned properties, many of which have been occupied by the same tenant for decades, and our ownership is clearly identified by the dark blue colour of each of the front doors.
50 High Street is one such property. A traditionally built 3-bedroomed cottage, it was previously let to a long-standing Duchy tenant who used to farm on the Cloughton Estate. This tenant, now elderly, left the property to move into something smaller and more manageable at the end of last year, providing an opportunity for a full refurbishment prior to re-letting.
As the property was built some 250 years ago using traditional materials, its energy efficiency performance was poor (EPC rating: F). It was therefore a key objective for us to ensure that the refurbishment works improved the building’s overall energy performance to an EPC rating of at least C. This was achieved by replacing single glazed windows with hardwood double glazed units, fitting sustainable wood-based floor, wall and roof insulation throughout, reusing the existing roofing pantiles wherever possible and installing a more efficient boiler and replacement radiators.
Commenting on the project, Head of Rural Restoration Lara Thompson said: “Our over-riding objective is to bring these historic buildings back into active use for local families to enjoy. Given the spiralling costs of living, the price of energy and the Duchy’s long-term sustainability ambitions, improving the efficiency of our traditional properties has never been more important. We are heartened to note that the improvements we have introduced are making a tangible difference and we look forward to building on this as we continue to explore new and more sustainable ways of restoring our rural portfolio and protecting the fabric of these historic buildings for future generations.”
Once practical completion had been achieved at the end of March, the team invited an independent assessor to come in and evaluate some of the building improvements made. Diane Hubbard of Green Footsteps congratulated the team on ‘a really interesting low carbon retrofit’ and suggested that the refurbishment serve as an exemplar for future turnaround projects. Diane is now going to work with the Duchy team to quantify and demonstrate the carbon saving achieved during construction (in-use and embodied), so that we can apply this learning to future restoration projects.
Nine viewings of the fully refurbished property took place a week of completion, resulting in four tenancy applications. The preferred candidate moved into the property on 3rd April 2023.
