While welcoming the Royal Institute of British Architects’ call for the insulation of 3.3m interwar houses (Report, 11 February), I am reflecting on the refusal of local planning officers to agree to effective measures to reduce the carbon footprint of my “interwar” property, although in this case the wars involved were the Seven Years and Napoleonic wars. There are over 370,000 listed buildings in the UK, listed not by worth but by age. Despite my repeated efforts to replace old and inefficient sash windows with almost identical but double-glazed ones, planners refuse to contemplate such works, recommending instead that thick curtains should suffice.
Having already fitted such drapes, I am reluctant to keep them drawn for 24 hours a day, so would call upon Riba to include listed homes to its worthy campaign.
Colin Burke
Cartmel, Cumbria
• I am a retired architect with some experience of dealing with historic buildings. Your article had no reference to the potential problems that retrofitting insulation can have, not only on the building itself, but also, with external insulation, on the character of the neighbourhood.
It is essential that we tackle the climate crisis, but the solution of external wall insulation should be treated with caution. There are many papers which advise that retrofitting wall insulation can add problems rather than solve them, particularly with resulting damp. Loft insulation, double glazing and draughtproofing are preferable.
Phil Ebbrell
Mold, Flintshire
• I was pleased that you included low-carbon heating in the excellent graphic on how to insulate and decarbonise an interwar home accompanying your report.
Last October, I had my domestic gas boiler removed and installed an air-source heat pump, and am basking in the results. I invited interested parties to view it and have been amazed at the urban myths related by visitors, such as that they are noisy, or are unsuitable for solid-walled houses, or that you will need all your central heating ripped out and replaced. Anyone who wishes to view one in operation can contact me through Bath and West Community Energy.
David Symington
Bath
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