Specialist electrical contractor for the energy efficient refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings

William Dyer Electrical (UK) Limited Energy Efficient Refurbishment of UK Listed Buildings

Energy efficient refurbishment of listed buildings There are around half a million buildings in the UK which have been placed on the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. These buildings are referred to as ‘listed’. Of the listed buildings in the UK, 94% of these are Grade II listed which means that they are buildings that are of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve them.

The main stipulations where listed buildings are concerned are that they may not be demolished, extended or altered without permission from local planning authorities.

Energy consumed in occupied properties is accountable for almost 50% of the UK’s CO2 emissions.

Furthermore, 22% of the emissions are produced in public and commercial properties. Of these properties, a significant amount of them were built before 1919 which means that many of the measures installed are dated and inefficient in energy terms.

The Government aims to improve the energy efficiency within existing buildings and with the support of planning authorities and guidance from English Heritage, energy efficiency improvements can be made to UK listed buildings enabling them to comply with new legislation (Part L of the Building Regulations).

Refurbishments to listed buildings can be made once agreed with planning authorities and provided that they are sympathetically executed and in keeping with the building’s original character.

There are a variety of measures that can be undertaken in order to enhance the energy efficiency within listed buildings including: 

Smart meter installation

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Heating and insulating the property

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Installing energy efficient controls

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Low energy lighting installation

William Dyer Electrical (UK) Ltd is a specialist electrical contractor for the energy efficient refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings. They have worked on a number of refurbishments of Grade II listed buildings to restore the properties to their former glory whilst ensuring that the most energy efficient installations are carried out in a manner in keeping with the original features of the buildings.

William Dyer Electrical (UK) Limited Specialist Electrical Contractors for energy efficient refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings

They have been employed as sub-contractor and main contractor on variety of commercial and public sector Grade II listed building refurbishment projects.

Whilst approval is granted far in advance of the refurbishments, the William Dyer Electrical team have to ensure that throughout the projects, installations are carried out in accordance with building conservation and sustainability in mind. They work closely with English Heritage and conservation to ensure that refurbishments are carried out sympathetically at all times.

Manchester College - Harpurhey Baths Conversion In 2010, William Dyer Electrical (UK) Ltd completed an 18 month project as sub-contractor for Quarmby Construction to transform the Harpurhey Baths at Manchester College into a state of the art educational facility. This project was part new-build, part restoration of the Grade II listed public baths to provide new teaching accommodation to supplement the award-winning Rochdale Road 6th Form College.

William Dyer Electrical (UK) Limited Specialist Electrical Contractors for energy efficient refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings

Challenges: The Listed section of the restoration had to be reinstated to its original state using traditional building techniques whilst utilising modern electrical wiring techniques and technology beneath the surface. The wiring had to be replaced behind the existing Victorian tiles without disruption. William Dyer Electrical (UK) Ltd completed the 18 month project on time, to budget and with minimal disruption.

William Dyer Electrical (UK) Limited Specialist Electrical Contractors for energy efficient refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings

Shena Simon Campus – Manchester College Following the successful completion of the refurbishment of Grade II Victorian swimming baths into a state of art facility at Harpurhey Campus, Manchester College, William Dyer Electrical won a prestigious £1.5million contract at Shena Simon building at Manchester College – another Grade II listed building, awarded in 2012.

The Shena Simon building is a Grade II listed building located in the city of Manchester. William Dyer Electrical was employed as principal contractor following the successful completion of the Harpurhey contract and their experience in working on sympathetic yet energy efficient restoration processes needed when refurbishing listed buildings.

The 6 phase electrical installation project at Shena Simon involved a complete electrical rewire and boiler replacement programme to modernise existing installations which were expending significant levels of energy.

William Dyer Electrical (UK) Limited Specialist Electrical Contractors for energy efficient refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings

William Dyer Electrical worked closely with conservation experts to ensure that the installations were conducted sympathetically, whilst energy efficient. One of the main challenges was that the college had to remain open and occupied throughout the installations.

In addition to the college facilities, the building houses two theatres requiring public access throughout the installation period. To ensure the safety of the public and their staff, William Dyer Electrical invested in Health & Safety and Risk Management training for their whole workforce (including Management).

Expertise

In order to carry out such refurbishment works on listed buildings, contractors must have an understanding of the unique nature of the project in hand. They must also recognise the significance of the requirements of historic building restoration which requires extensive technical expertise.

When refurbishing Grade II listed properties, there are often technical and aesthetic conflicts which can arise which require highly creative solutions and technical expertise in order to for the works to be carried out to the correct standard and in keeping with the requirements outlined by the planning authorities.

William Dyer Electrical (UK) Ltd have the knowhow and expertise to carry out large scale specialist electrical contracting services for the energy efficient refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings.

For more information, visit www.wmdyer.co.uk or call 01706 212 815 to speak to a Contract Manager.

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William Dyer Electrical (UK) Limited Specialist Electrical Contractors for energy efficient refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings