Human factors barriers to retrofitting historic residential properties in Edinburgh

Abstract: Edinburgh has one of the highest concentrations of historic buildings in the UK outside of London, with more than 10,000 listed buildings and 50 conservation areas where modifications of properties are restricted for heritage conservation purposes. Like many cities, Edinburgh also has an ambitious net zero aspiration to significantly reduce average household electricity and gas consumption, which necessitates changes that may not be permitted in protected properties. This paper examines the interlinked human factor challenges to retrofitting protected historic residential properties in Edinburgh, using data from a 2023 City of Edinburgh Council public consultation on building heritage conservation and climate change adaptation. The study objective was to identify lever points where the human factor barriers can be lowered or removed to improve the rate and uptake of energy retrofits and climate adaptations by historic property-owners. The consultation was carried out as an online questionnaire survey and yielded 431 validated responses (n = 431). A mixed-method approach was used to unpack the data, where Likert-scale questions were statistically analysed and open-ended questions were explored via thematic analysis. The results showed that whilst financial cost is a major barrier for historic property-owners to improve the energy efficiency and climate change resilience of their homes (as indicated by 70% of all respondents), other human factors in the planning process and wider construction industry also contribute to the larger national challenge of retrofitting and adapting the historic building stock. Over half of all respondents (55%) indicated that the process of applying for permission is a major barrier, followed by the availability of tradespeople (35%), and the difficulty seeking agreement with neighbours (32%), specifically for flat owners – who also face more types of climate-related issues in their properties than do detached and terraced homeowners. Of note is the layered accessibility issues to typical historic homeowners’ retrofit journey suggested by thematic analysis – from difficulty in identifying the most appropriate and cost-effective works needed for their properties, to trouble understanding regulations and planning jargons, to user experience problems with the permission application filing process, to difficulty finding reputable and qualified contractors. Many of these issues in turn increase the overall financial cost of the retrofit and the time it required to carry out the work, creating a vicious cycle in cognitive ergonomics that amplifies the “hassle” factor that inevitably comes with any home-improvement projects. But more importantly, these barriers contribute to Edinburgh residents’ overall negative perception of retrofitting or adapting historic residential properties, and an erosion of trust of the local authority, leading to both potential loss of heritage architectural characteristics (through noncompliance) and lagging rate of old buildings needing energy retrofits (through owner avoidance).

Keywords: Heritage conservation, Listed buildings, Conservation areas, Energy retrofit, Climate adaptation

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1006615

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