COTAC conference comments on the Green Deal

The Conference on Training in Architectural Conservation <www.cotac.org.uk> held a two-day conference on 15-16 November at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich on improving thermal performance in traditional buildings, addressed by speakers from such bodies as English Heritage, Historic Scotland, Cadw, Heriot Watt University, the Building Research Establishment, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, the National Trust, and professionals in practice.

The conference supported the principle of the government's Green Deal <www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/tackling/green_deal/green_deal.aspx> energy efficiency programme, but expressed strong concerns about the potential physical damage it may impose on buildings of traditional construction. Research also shows that calculated SAP values < http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/emissions/sap/sap.aspx> consistently underestimate the performance of traditional buildings, so works may not deliver expected savings. 

The conference passed a resolution to ask the government to require Green Deal advisers and installers to have an demonstrable understanding and expertise in traditional building construction, and to be able to advise property owners with options appropriate to their buildings. The government also needs to ensure a joined-up approach between planning, building control and conservation.

The conference also proposed that the Green Deal is linked to the national house condition surveys of the home nations to provide effective monitoring of its effects.