ABSTRACT
Building retrofit, refurbishment, and upgrading inevitably include aspects such as maintenance, repair, restoration, and extension. These major components of construction activity regularly account for only slightly less than half of the UK construction industry’s total output. The activities can be generally described as “repair and maintenance” by governments for statistical purposes. There is much to consider prior to upgrading and enhancing a building’s thermal performance. Primarily, the focus is on improving the whole building, whilst ensuring that the changes made to one part of a building do not adversely impact another part, or result in latent defects, or result in unexpected consequences. The EU Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD) contains strict provisions for further energy reduction in buildings, stating “Measures to improve further the energy performance of buildings should take into account climatic and local conditions as well as indoor climate environment and cost-effectiveness”.
