Description

For many years, the main focus of insulation retrofits was making a home healthier and easier to keep warm. Today, however, reducing operational greenhouse gas emissions has become a key driver. The pressure to speed up retrofits of our existing housing stock is growing.

There are warehouses of research findings showing retrofitting cold and damp houses has huge health benefits for the occupants and wide benefits for Aotearoa as a whole. Consecutive governments have funded retrofitting programmes such as the current Warmer Kiwi Homes scheme. EECA has supported 385,000 insulation retrofits since 2009.

Scope

This article covers:

• Why retrofitting is important
• Not as easy as it looks
• Insulation retrofits and moisture transfer
• Balancing embodied against operational emissions
• Thermal emprovement beyond insulation
• Secondary glazing
  • Reducing excess moisture in the air
  • Eliminating draughts
• Retrofitting bigger buildings