Britain should focus its housing energy efficiency efforts on retrofitting existing stock rather than trying to improve new-build performance, a senior building industry executive has claimed. Speaking exclusively to edie, Chris Tinker, an executive board director at Crest Nicholson – one of the largest housebuilding companies in the UK – said that new builds are already very high up on the efficiency curve. “I think you need to look at what your payback is for every pound you invest”, Tinker said. “New homes are a long way up the curve already and as a country we would arguable get a higher degree of payback from investing in existing housing stock. “You’d be better to take the same pound and invest in more insulation, more double-glazing and so on. “That isn’t to say I don’t think new-builds can be improved further, but there is definitely a limit.”
Edie 11th Jan 2016 read more »