Chapter 2 Architects are now listed on the Retrofit West Trusted Professionals Directory. Being part of Retrofit West shows our commitment to providing you with the best possible home retrofit experience.

Professional titles can sometimes be confusing. Three (or more) letter acronyms and abbreviations that may confuse rather than reassure. For my sins, I’ve gathered quite a few now, so let me explain what they mean for those who are unsure.

April is the month when solar production begins to outstrip what we use at home, meaning we start to get paid for the energy we export back to the grid.

Pulse Tests are carried out by specialist air testing companies as a quicker alternative to Blower Door testing, particularly for existing buildings undergoing retrofit or older buildings.

As we celebrate our first anniversary, here are 10 retrofit lessons from (just) one year.

EnerPHit is where Retrofit meets Passivhaus. This blog explains some of the key differences and routes to certification for those who do not want to move to achieve their dream energy efficient home.

New service - Thermographic Imaging Report for diagnosis of heat loss and air leakage, plus solutions!

What is a Watt? What is kWh? It depends on who you ask. Try comparing one building to another and you could quickly become unstuck. Let’s take a myth-busting dive into the standard metric for building energy use.

Bath & NE Somerset’s pioneering net zero carbon planning policy has been studied by a group at University of Bath with external partners Chapter 2 Architects and the South West Net Zero Hub.

If I had to explain retrofit to someone in 2mins I’d whip out this diagram.

Energy efficiency comes from optimising your design. Adding insulation increases performance but past a certain point it only adds more cost with little additional benefit. This is the law of diminishing returns.

Form Factor and orientation play a huge role in the eventual heat loss characteristics of your building. Simplifying the form and using design tools can help you optimise your form, and reduce your heat loss.

A brief explainer on the role of Retrofit in addressing the UK’s 2050 climate commitments, covering the role of designers, PAS2035 and recognised methodologies from LETI, RIBA, Passivhaus and AECB.

Using an inexpensive indoor air quality meter to asses the health of our home, looking at carbon dioxide, relative humidity and temperature as we work from home, or rest.

PHPP is the tool developed by the Passive House Institute to achieve compliance with their standard. It is used by Passive House Designers and Certifiers to evaluate designs through the project life, but can have wider applications.

One of the key inputs into the energy balance of a Passive House project is solar gain, but is it helpful to the designers or a hindrance?The Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) helps designers optimise climate data and shading to prevent overheating.

MVHR sounds like a seriously complex piece of mechanical kit. But in reality, it’s a rather clever, largely empty box. Here’s a quick primer to explain how it works.

PAS 2035 creates a number of new roles for the construction industry. For example, who is a PAS 2035 Retrofit Designer?

Passive House is a low energy standard, right? Not necessarily. The reason for achieving low energy starts with the building users.

We have produced a flow chart to show the routes to compliance and the outputs that will be mandatory for registering each new application in BANES.