Buttoning up drafty old buildings with care
Katie Miller
By Katie Miller,
Clean Air-Cool Planet
2009 Climate Fellow
Last Saturday morning, I found myself on a beautiful farm in Concord, NH, walking through colorful flower gardens and inhaling the sweet scent of hay. As I wasn’t sure what to expect at a workshop for “improving energy efficiency of older homes,” this was definitely a good start. The New Hampshire Preservation Alliance had convinced the owners of Dimond Hill Farm to invite a large group into their 1840s Victorian farmhouse to discuss building retrofits. The primary question: how do you improve heat retention in historic homes?
While this might not be the most pressing question for an average person, it has been on the top of my list since May, when I began working as a Climate Fellow at Strawbery Banke Museum. My project here is to reduce the museum’s carbon emissions by improving the efficiency of historic buildings. I’ve talked with lots of different people, from energy auditors to museum educators, but I was anxious to hear the perspective of the homeowner: people who live in drafty old buildings year round, trying to live a modern life while preserving a piece of the past. What would be their biggest concerns?
I found out pretty quickly that everyone wanted to reduce heating costs. Our workshop began with coffee and a presentation on how to begin tightening a building—such as running energy audits, restoring old windows, and installing efficiency-enhancing materials. The audience was quiet for the first few slides, but the questions started when an intriguing thermal image came up, showing heat loss from the exterior of a building. Animated discussion then dominated the rest of the morning. The presentation was right on track with what the participants wanted to hear. While we ran out of time to hear about larger energy issues, such as Cap and Trade, we covered a lot of ground regarding specific building efficiency projects.
For the second half of the workshop, we were invited to tour the attic and basement of the farmhouse. We saw firsthand the uneven insulation of the roof and the damp earth that comprised the basement floor. These features were not surprising to most of us there, since we had them at home or worked with them regularly. The questions and discussions from the presentation continued. While a wide range of useful information was shared, not every question could be completely answered. As we heard over and over, every historic building presents unique situations. This became frustrating, as everyone wanted something they could implement right away to begin saving energy. However, as historic home owners are used to accommodating complex situations, the group was patient and enthusiastic about what they could learn.
Applying this attitude to the museum setting could be very helpful for my project. I want to see energy-saving projects implemented as soon as possible, but that probably would not be for the best. Poorly researched “improvements” may irreversibly damage historic buildings, ruining their educational purpose. With buildings that have been around for decades, it is reasonable to take time assessing any changes to their structure. While my fellowship will have ended before any physical changes take place, I am excited to see historic home owners and museums reap the benefits as efficiency projects become standard practice.
Tags: energy efficient building, green building, heat efficiency, heat retention, historic building, museum, older homes, weatherization
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