Sustainable Home Refurbishment ─ The Earthscan Expert Guide to Retrofitting Homes for Efficiency

'This is an excellent book u comprehensively researched, powerfully presented and crystal clear. It should be the first stop for anyone seeking objective advice in a field cluttered with misleading claims. I couldn't recommend it more strongly.'-George Monbiot

'This book should be read by anyone engaged in domestic energy efficiency programmes. It goes back to basics and sets out systematically and incrementally how to approach the refurbishment of existing homes which will result in reduced energy demand and lower bills.'-Jenny Saunders, Chief Executive, National Energy Action, UK

'We can't recommend this book highly enough. David Thorpe has produced an interesting read whilst managing to also include all the necessary technical energy information. This should be required reading for the capable amateur and the professionally engaged, as well as students and qualified architects.'-Penney Poyzer, campaigner low carbon living and working and Gil Schalom, green architect; co-owners of the pioneering Nottingham ecohome, the UK's first radical eco-retrofit

'David Thorpe's oh-so-valuable book excellently covers the full spectrum of low impact home refurbishment. It is jam-packed with detail, and rises to the challenge of being both useful and accessible to a range of people from construction professionals to the committed DIYer wanting to crack on in eco-refurb.'-Simon McWhirter, Director, Great British Refurb Campaign

A retro-fit offers many benefits: cutting electricity and heating bills, increasing the resale value of homes, slashing carbon emissions, and creating a healthier place to live. This book is your guide to making it happen.

It looks at:

draught-proofing, insulation and damp

ventilation, heating and cooling

electrical efficiency and renewable energy

water use and re-use

materials' life cycles and incorporating nature

protection from climate change impacts

modelling energy flows and embodied energy

how we can meet the need to cut carbon emissions from dwellings by 80 per cent by 2050.

Projects can apply to apartment blocks, recent builds and older, solid-walled properties.

Enlivened with helpful diagrams and photographs, plus plenty of pointers for further information, it provides a comprehensive resource handbook for any building professional and contractor, students u or any homeowner serious about efficiency (cash and carbon) savings.

David Thorpe has been the News Editor of Energy and Environmental Management magazine for ten years. Prior to that he was Managing Editor and author at the Centre for Alterative Technology, where he edited The Whole House Book among many other titles. He writes a popular bloc u The Low Carbon Kid - and for the Guardian online.