Decarbonising UK heritage has been under increasing scrutiny, so what does low carbon heat look like for historical buildings and estates in 2024?
It is without doubt that in the coming decades, the UK's historic buildings must undergo rapid decarbonisation. Unfortunately, it is still the case that a huge number of these buildings are tied to fossil fuels, with heritage organisations and homeowners facing multiple challenges to reduce their carbon emissions. As a result, there are many sound arguments as to why it is an area that should not be delayed or hindered by policy and red tape, a common criticism from leading historic and heritage organisations.
In particular, taking steps to decarbonise heat in historic buildings – which requires far more effort when compared with changing to a green electricity supplier, for example - and looking to enable low carbon technology options is not just logical, but essential if the UK is to maintain homes, support tourism, protect businesses, and keep our heritage preserved for many more years to come.
Scale of heritage decarbonisation required and the response from larger heritage organisations
The definition of an ‘historic building’ is cited as one built before 1919. In the UK this comprises nearly a quarter of all UK homes and almost a third of commercial properties. 50% of residential and 39% of non-residential buildings were built before 1970, with 29% of residential and 30% of non-residential buildings constructed this century.
In England alone, there are around 400,000 listed building entries, of which 2.5% are Grade I, 5.8% are Grade II* and over 90% are Grade II . On this basis, Grade I and Grade II* - classified as being of ‘exceptional’ or ‘special’ interest – would account for over 33,000 entries, emphasising the huge number of buildings that play an important role in our society and culture that may well require decarbonisation on the UK’s path to net zero by 2050 (of those that have not already started).
As a result, major institutions such as the Church of England are outlining their ambitions to achieve net zero. With 16,000 churches (12,500 of which are listed) and 42 cathedrals with associated buildings and estates, the Church of England’s ‘Carbon Routemap’ outlines how it plans to become net zero by 2030 – making it arguably one of the UK’s most ambitious heritage decarbonisation strategies. Of the carbon reduction required, decarbonising heat is a ‘national priority’ according to the Church of England, adding that it makes up 84% of a typical church’s energy use.
Another heritage behemoth, the National Trust, shares the same ambition to be carbon net zero by 2030, stating it has reached its target to generate 50% of its energy from renewable energy (using a 2008 benchmark). The Trust’s next phase aims to further reduce fossil fuel usage at 100 of its highest emitting buildings. This is unsurprising for Europe’s largest conservation charity which owns over 500 historic houses and castles. In addition, the Trust owns close to a million works of art, adding to the increasing pressure to preserve not only the buildings themselves but also the precious artefacts they contain.
This is an important point that adds to the challenge of decarbonisation, as heating plays a huge role in controlling moisture, preventing damp and creating favourable conditions for priceless artefacts. Renewable heat options are well established in many of the National Trust’s properties and, using advanced controls, respond well to these complex demands. This includes Charlecote Park, located in Warwickshire with a Victorian house built in 1558. In 2023, the fossil fuel heating system was converted to biomass, with General Manager, Rebecca Watson, commenting that:
“Many of the paintings and other cultural artefacts that were collected by our initial Victorian owners George Hammond Lucy and his wife, Mary Elizabeth, on their European travels were at risk of becoming damaged by mould and pests, as the old heating system could not regulate the temperatures in each room accurately. Climate change is the single biggest threat to precious properties like ours due to the fluctuating temperatures, so we are thrilled to have benefited from this investment as it will also reduce our reliance on using gas and oil.”
Is planning still a barrier to low carbon heat?
The Church of England’s Carbon Routemap outlines ‘challenges to achieving net zero’, serving as a useful indication for what many other heritage organisations and independent historic building and estate owners are likely to face. The CoE highlights the multiple considerations for implementing options to achieve net zero, such as renewable heat. This includes issues such as distributed decision making, large estates, permissions, energy prices and legislation.
In particular, planning has been making the headlines. A survey conducted in 2023 by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and Historic Houses which reported that 87% of historic building owners ‘see the UK’s planning system for heritage a major barrier to decarbonising their property’. 62% of respondents did not apply for consent, or withdrew their applications, due to the complexity of navigating a heritage consent system. CLA’s president, Mark Tufnell, commented that “Government’s Energy Security Strategy promises to help by reducing the planning consent barriers – it is vital that is implemented soon.”
The Crown Estate held a similar position, previously commenting that the UK doesn’t have ‘a joined-up strategy for tackling the energy efficiency of its historic buildings’. It also recommended that decarbonising buildings will require new skills and a workforce 205,000 strong, but that there is also a huge economic opportunity with which could generate £35 billion of output annually, and support 209,000 jobs – in addition to the ultimate objective of more efficient buildings that are less expensive to heat. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors concurred, stating in 2020 that ‘a significant opportunity seemingly exists for retrofitting, with renovation required to many buildings to reach modern energy or thermal standards’, including the potential for job creation – but it also highlighted the lack of a clear policy route to achieve this .
Fastforward to 2024, and it seems the voices are being heard, with UK Government publishing ‘Adapting historic homes for energy efficiency: a review of the barriers’ in January. The review says that ‘planning was identified as one of the key barriers for installing energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures’, and gives a package of ways it will start to help historic buildings owners meaningfully decarbonise. Recognition of the huge role decarbonised historic buildings can play in the Government’s overall net zero targets is likely to be a welcome turning point, even if it is specific to homeowners in this instance.
Low carbon heat for historic buildings must not be hindered
The route to decarbonising heritage and historical buildings is undoubtedly complex. However, the core issue remains, that historical buildings have, in large, become so reliant on fossil fuels as the most convenient (and often the only) means for providing heat, that they need significant support in order to adapt.
Renewable energy and low carbon solutions for heat must not be stifled by overly burdensome bureaucracy, and instead have a clearer path to connect stakeholders policy makers, building and estate owners, grant bodies and funds, designers and installers, for example. In addition, renewable technology providers need to be ready with more robust, commercially viable and long-term options compared to the fossil fuels they replace. The good news for adopters of low carbon heat is that there are numerous options available right now, from electric heating, biomass boilers and heat pumps to district heating powered by a variety of renewable source, amongst other solutions.
Ultimately, the lack of decarbonisation is not down to the unwilliness of historic building owners or public opinion, which is generally in favour of switching to renewable energy, nor is it down to renewable technology being unavailable or a lack of fossil fuel alternatives. Instead, policy, planning, consent and skills are more pivotal areas to overcome, which undoubtedly requires Government intervention and continued campaigning from historical organisations.
The question now remains, can heat decarbonisation make an historic bid to oust fossil fuels from buildings that play such an important role in our society? Certainly, pressure from some of the largest heritage organisations and representatives has mounted, with all eyes on how the UK Government will respond as a result of its review.
