SHDF Wave 2 – North East (3 of 3)

Measured across our retrofit programmes

  • 2,493homes with a post-works EPC
  • +11average SAP points gained
  • D → Caverage band movement
  • 99.6%finish at band C or better

Crawford & Co assessed and coordinated these homes. Figures cover every programme where works are complete and a post-works EPC has been lodged, September 2026, and are not specific to this project.

Overview

Crawford & Co Surveyors’ retrofit programme for the landlord covered 2,000 properties in the North East, addressing energy efficiency, indoor air quality and occupant comfort to reduce fuel poverty and cut the carbon footprint of the stock.

Following PAS 2035, we used a fabric-first strategy: 400mm loft insulation, 150mm External Wall Insulation (EWI), double glazing, solar PV and enhanced ventilation. Work began with a detailed condition assessment of every building to identify weaknesses, preserving structural integrity while integrating energy-efficient elements.

Measured examples from the assessments: one property’s space-heating demand fell from 195.35 to 139.67 kWh/m² per year, with carbon down from 4,960 to 3,690 kg per year; a second from 136.63 to 108.45 kWh/m² (3,450 to 2,830 kg); a third from 191.79 to 83.96 kWh/m² (3,200 to 2,780 kg).

We conducted air testing to 4 m³/hr/m², sealing windows, doors and cracks, and installed Demand Controlled Mechanical Ventilation (DMEV) with smart humidity monitoring for efficient operation, lower noise and better indoor air quality. Daylighting was maximised through larger energy-efficient windows and skylights. A medium-term 5–10 year plan covers maintenance, ongoing performance monitoring and future upgrades.

Naomi
Project Manager

Strategy

Fabric

Wave 2 stock is diverse: house types vary street by street, each with its own construction and its own constraints, and each needs its own answer. Measures on this scheme were specified per property from the assessment — external or internal wall insulation, loft and room-in-roof insulation, and window and door improvements. Pre-existing defects are the rule rather than the exception on this kind of stock: dampness, condensation and mould, cavity wall tie failure, roof slumping and spread, timber decay and lintel failure. Every one of those has to be resolved before insulation goes on. Identifying them at assessment is what makes enabling works a planned item rather than a mid-programme surprise.

Service

Ventilation and airtightness are one decision, not two. Extract ventilation, and demand-controlled mechanical extract ventilation with humidity sensing where it is warranted, are designed in alongside the fabric measures so that a tighter home is also a drier one. Heating and hot water measures are matched to the demand the fabric work leaves behind, so plant is sized for the improved property.

Renewables

Where a property suits it, solar PV is added after the fabric measures, so that generation offsets a demand already reduced rather than masking one that has not been. Roof orientation, structural capacity and the condition of the existing covering all decide suitability, and the assessment records that rather than assuming it. Conservation areas, listed status, and bird nesting or bat hibernation seasons all shape what can be installed and when. On this kind of stock those are routine planning considerations, not exceptions.

Vital Statistics

Properties in scope: 2,000. Crawford & Co scope: Retrofit Assessment, Retrofit Design, PAS 2035 coordination. Air permeability target: 4 m³/hr/m². Each assessment records the property’s construction and its modelled performance before and after the proposed measures — space-heating demand in kWh/m² per year, carbon in kg per year and estimated energy cost. Figures are held per property rather than averaged, and are available to the client in full.

Detailing

Compliance is designed in rather than checked at the end. Assessments are quality-checked by a coordinator before they reach design, measures are modelled against the scheme’s target, and documentation is assembled as the work proceeds so that TrustMark lodgement is a formality rather than a scramble. Our retrofit condition report was developed in house and approved by both the scheme provider and TrustMark. The work behind it contributed to our managing director’s appointment to the BS 40104 steering group — the British Standard for retrofit assessment. Where PAS 2035 leaves a technical question genuinely open, we take it up with the standard’s authors rather than guess.

Further Data

Standards

PAS 2035 / PAS 2030

Comfort

A retrofit that lowers a bill but leaves a home stuffy or damp has not worked. Comfort here means even temperatures, humidity that stays under control, ventilation the resident does not have to think about, and daylight where the property allows for larger windows or roof lights. Residents remain in occupation throughout, so assessment visits are designed to capture everything needed in one appointment.

Monitoring

Coordinators quality-check every assessment before it reaches design, and the scheme runs with a live view shared between client, designer and installers so that discrepancies surface in days rather than at handover. Regular review meetings with client, designer and installers run for its duration. Post-completion documentation is prepared for TrustMark lodgement through secure data sharing. A medium-term plan covers maintenance, ongoing performance monitoring and future upgrades, so that the measures keep performing after the programme closes.

Social Value

Kian, Crawford & Co SurveyorsKianSocial value leadDuring this project Kian was on a Surveying Technician Apprenticeship, funded directly from this contract.

Read about the apprentices, placements and interns we have supported

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