Retrofit your community building

Retrofitting means making changes to a building that already exists. You might add new features, such as windows, or new systems, such as solar panels, so it’s more efficient and cheaper to run. For a community building, it can range from draught-proofing and better heating controls to insulation and generating your own renewable energy.

Involve the people who use your building, and fix maintenance problems such as rotten windows or leaking gutters first. Then follow the energy hierarchy:

1. Reduce the energy you use
2. Reduce the energy your building loses
3. Generate your own

A walk-around audit, a record of your energy bills and a simple maintenance plan will show you where to begin.

This community action plan from the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) and Local Trust helps you make your community building more energy-efficient, comfortable and affordable to run. It takes you from understanding and maintaining your building, through low-cost measures, to larger changes such as insulation, new heating systems and renewable energy. It also covers finding professional help and checking whether you need permission.

It includes examples from two Big Local areas. Par Bay Big Local insulated its building and replaced the doors. In Marsh and Micklefield, volunteers audited their community centre and the old single-glazed windows were replaced.

This guide will be useful to community groups and community organisations that run a village hall, community centre or other community space and want to cut running costs and their environmental impact.

• Involving building users and fixing maintenance issues first
• Following the energy hierarchy
• Monitoring your energy use and how your building is used
• Carrying out a walk-around audit of your building
• Writing a maintenance plan
• Low-cost measures such as draught-proofing and heating controls
• Insulation, ventilation and avoiding damp and mould
• Heating systems, heat pumps and renewable energy
• Choosing a green energy tariff
• Finding certified tradespeople and getting quotes
• Checking whether you need building control approval or planning permission
• An energy-efficiency checklist