Heat Pumps Today

16 Mark McManus, Managing Director of Stiebel Eltron UK, discusses how heat pumps have been used to significantly improve the sustainability credentials of two historic Yorkshire properties. Preserving our heritage properties June | July 2021 The UK boasts some of the world’s most spectacular heritage buildings. Yet when it comes to energy efficiency, owners are often under the impression that installing modern sustainability measures are out of reach for their older properties. Improving the energy efficiency of the UK building stock is an integral part of the UK’s journey to improved sustainability and ultimately a net-zero economy. The average EPC rating for a house in England and Wales is D, meanwhile the median energy efficiency score for new flats and houses is a B. Many initiatives and strategies have been introduced over the years to improve these ratings. From the Clean Growth Strategy’s targets to upgrade all fuel poor homes to an EPC band C by 2030, to the ongoing proposals to ensure all private rented homes meet a minimum energy performance standard of EPC Band C by 2028. Heritage properties, traditionally defined as those built before 1919, make up 21 per cent of all homes in England, and 500,000 of those homes have a listed status according to Historic England. P R O J E C T