This will involve knowing how to retrofit the huge collection of insulation materials in the marketplace today. Some, more appropriate than others depending on the architectural heritage and construction type of each building. Upgrading or introducing modern heat pumps, for example including necessary alterations and adaptations to the existing systems can easily be 20/30k. Therefore, a heating engineer will need to know how you have improved the insulation to calculate and to recommend the smallest appropriate boiler/ heat pump which will save you insulation costs and running costs. Identifying and assessing the existing condition and thermal performance of the existing envelope and specifying the improvements is called “fabric first approach” and must be the beginning part of the improvement process. This process is best carried out by experienced, qualified thermographers and building surveyors.

A cold bridge is also known as a thermal bridge or a thermal bypass. In simple terms it is an area where heat loss occurs. Thermal bridges in buildings impact the amount of energy required to heat and cool a space, they cause condensation, mould and damp within the building envelope, in turn creating an unhealthy living environment.

A thermal bridge is an area which has higher thermal conductivity than the surrounding materials, creating a path of least resistance for heat transfer. We discuss the term thermal bridge in the context of the building’s thermal envelope where thermal bridges result in heat transfer into or out of a conditioned (living) space.

The common areas for a cold bridge are:

• Window and door reveals
• Lintel positions
• Floor and wall intersections and abutments
• Wall and ceiling intersections and abutments
• Eaves details
• Dormer, cheeks, aprons, eaves and reveals
• Suspended ground floors
• Flat roofs

Depending on the size of the property and the complexity of it we would expect it to take anywhere between 3-5 hours on site.