Delivering PAS 2035-compliant assessments across 28 retirement flats to underpin a Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2.1 programme.
Project Overview
- Client: Value Optimised Retrofit (commissioned on behalf of Wates and Anchor)
- Sector: Retirement Housing / Social Housing
- Location: Hanover Mead, Newbury, West Berkshire
- Services Provided: PAS 2035 Retrofit Assessments, Pulse & Blower Door Air Tightness Testing, Part F Ventilation Testing, Intrusive Borescope Surveys
- Scale: 28 retirement flats
- Target: EPC C for all properties, below 90kWh heat demand, resolution of reported damp and mould – funded via the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2.1
The Challenge
Anchor, England’s largest provider of specialist housing and care for older people, needed to raise energy efficiency across a 28-flat retirement development while resolving reported damp and mould – a combination that matters more here than in most retrofit projects, given the vulnerability of the residents involved. With funding secured through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (now Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund) Wave 2.1, the project needed clear answers on four fronts: could every flat reach EPC C, could heat demand come down below 90kWh, would bills fall, and – critically – what was actually causing the damp. The project team needed a specialist to turn those questions into evidenced answers before any design decisions were finalised.
The Solution
PAS 2035 Assessment & Further Testing
Over two weeks in Newbury, we carried out PAS 2035-compliant retrofit assessments across all 28 flats, working from four building archetypes identified in an early survey to keep the process efficient without losing rigour. Pulse air tightness testing and Part F ventilation testing – measuring flow rates, trickle vents, and purge ventilation with calibrated anemometers and balometers – with selected properties undergoing more comprehensive blower door air tightness testing on top. Where damp had been reported, we went further, using intrusive borescope surveys to look behind the walls themselves and identify whether the cause was water ingress, failed insulation, or something else entirely – rather than assuming and specifying a fix on guesswork.
This project was a great opportunity to demonstrate the value of comprehensive assessments. Identifying archetypes early on allowed us to streamline the process, and the borescope surveys gave insight into any underlying damp issues whilst providing clarity to current insulation conditions
— Oliver Morgan, Retrofit Manager, Building Energy Experts
The Outcome
The borescope surveys told a clear and, in some ways, reassuring story: cavity walls were properly filled, with no structural cause for the damp being reported. The real driver turned out to be inadequate ventilation – a finding that reframed the fix from an expensive fabric intervention to a more targeted ventilation solution. Top-floor flats, which already had external wall insulation applied, were already achieving EPC C, giving a clear benchmark for what the rest of the development could reach. With electric storage heating already in place (the flats aren’t connected to mains gas), the retrofit strategy could focus on the areas that would move the needle – insulation, airtightness and ventilation working together – rather than a costly heating system replacement. The result was an evidenced foundation for specifying the right measures with confidence, rather than treating damp, energy performance and comfort as separate problems.
