The client perspective on factors in the retrofitting of sustainable technologies to traditional rural homes in North East Scotland

Abstract

Through the study of a project completed in 2009, this article seeks to determine what barriers can be encountered by homeowners when trying to improve the performance of older properties with regard to energy use and CO2 emissions. The scope of the study is determined by the type of dwelling that is its focus, the traditional farmhouse as constructed during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in NE Scotland, along with the boundary set by the client's interpretation of ‘sustainability’. Within this scope, this article aims to report on the decision-making process that resulted in real-world ‘solutions’ to the identified barriers. Learning that results from the study relates to findings reported in the literature, particularly with regard to types of barriers encountered when attempting to mitigate against climate change by retrofitting technologies and materials to existing housing. In addition, there is learning related to the manner in which homeowners may make decisions in response to the identified barriers that result in a series of revisions of the initial list of technologies and materials. Such revisionary activity suggests that there remain significant problems to be addressed before substantial reductions in CO2 emissions from traditional dwellings can be achieved.