NOTE: NO FURTHER DISCOUNT FOR THIS PRINT PRODUCT -- OVERSTOCK SALE -- Significantly reduced list price Helps property owners, preservation professionals, and stewards of historic buildings make informed decisions when considering energy efficiency improvements to historic buildings. This brief targets primarily small-to medium-size historic buildings, both residential and commercial. However, the general decision-making principles outlined here apply to buildings of any size and complexity. This guidance is provided in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation to ensure that the architectural integrity of the historic property is preserved. Other related products: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Sealing and Insulating With Energy Star: Sealing Air Leaks and Adding Attic Insulation is available here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/055-000-00684-9 Preservation Briefs: 15-23 (2007) is available here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/024-005-01256-7 The Seismic Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings is available here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/024-005-01322-9 Renovation & Historic Preservation resources collection can be found here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/science-technology/construction-archit..."

This guidance is for anyone who wishes to improve energy efficiency in an historic building. There are many reasons to do this. Improving energy efficiency will lower carbon emissions and fuel bills and often increase comfort. It also might be necessary to ensure that a building complies with legal requirements. More broadly, improving energy efficiency forms a part of the wider objective to achieve a sustainable environment. It is a widely held view that older buildings are not energy-efficient, and must be radically upgraded in order to improve their performance. In reality, the situation is more complicated, and assumptions about poor performance are not always justified. Even so, the energy and carbon performance of most historic buildings can be improved, which will help them remain viable and useful, now and in the future. But striking the right balance between benefit and harm is not easy. The unintended consequences of getting energy efficiency measures wrong (or doing them badly) include: harm to heritage values and significance, harm to human health and building fabric, and failure to achieve the predicted savings or reductions in environmental impact. Getting the balance right (and avoiding unintended consequences) is best done with a holistic approach that uses an understanding of a building, its context, its significance, and all the factors affecting energy use as the starting point for devising an energy-efficiency strategy. This 'whole building approach' ensures that energy-efficiency measures are suitable, robust, well integrated, properly coordinated and sustainable. In addition, this approach provides an effective framework for communication and understanding between the various parties involved in the process. These include assessors, designers, installers and the people who occupy and manage the building. A logical and systematic process of energy planning underpins the 'whole building approach'. This guidance describes the key stages of the process, illuminating any problems that might occur and providing solutions. It also includes checklists of practical measures that might be considered, along with links to sources of more detailed information about how to install these measures.

By Anne E. Grimmer, et al. These are the first set of official guidelines on how to make changes to improve energy efficiency and preserve the character of historic buildings. The Guidelines are an important addition to current discussions about sustainability and achieving greater energy efficiency, which have focused primarily on new buildings to date. This authoritative guide enhances overall understanding of basic preservation principles. Shows specific examples of appropriate treatments and the consequences of inappropriate treatments. Also, includes list of technical guidance publications. Other related products: Improving Energy Efficiency in Historic Buildings is available here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/024-005-01294-0?ctid=1317 A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Sealing and Insulating With Energy Star: Sealing Air Leaks and Adding Attic Insulation is available here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/055-000-00684-9 The Seismic Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings is available here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/024-005-01322-9 Renovation & Historic Preservation resources collection can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/taxonomy/term/447/renovation-historic-preservation Real Estate product collection can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/consumer-home-family/real-estate

Efficiency, Energy conservation, Energy consumption, Buildings, Preservation, Conservation

Enhances overall understanding of basic preservation principles. Shows specific examples of appropriate treatments and the consequences of inappropriate treatments. Includes list of technical guidance publications.

This handbook holistically summarises the principles for the energy retrofitting of historic buildings, from the first diagnosis to the adequately designed intervention: preservation of the historic structure, user comfort, and energy efficiency. The content was developed by an interdisciplinary team of researchers. The wide range of different expertise, design examples, calculations, and measuring results from eight case studies makes this manual an indispensable tool for all architects, engineers, and energy consultants.