Heritage – energy and opportunity

We talk to Listers MD, Roy Frost, who explains how rising energy costs have primed owners of period properties for energy efficient home improvements.

Period appeal is one thing. The cost of maintaining and heating an older property is another. While we may love period features, open fireplaces, high ceilings – and often original single-glazed windows – rising energy costs make period home ownership costly.

And while the Government has pledged not to let the energy price cap push beyond £2,500 that may be of little solace to owners of older properties, which have a tendency to be as energy inefficient, as they are charming.

The timelines that define a ‘period home’ are open to discussion and debate. If we take a view that we’re talking pre-war, around 4.7million of homes currently in use in England and Wales were built in the inter-war period between 1919 and 1939. 1.8m properties were built between 1900 and the end of WW1; while a further 5m were constructed pre 1900.

This means that of the UK’s 29million homes, 9.5million were built before the outbreak of the second world war.

“You’re basically looking at around a third of UK housing stock,” says Roy Frost, managing director, Listers. “The three or so million properties built in England and Wales in the late 1920s or 1930s, will have cavity walls, so the option to insulate them is there.

“In comparison the 7-8 million properties still in use today that were built before the late 1920s don’t have cavity walls, so if you own a period home built before 1930, buying new windows and doors are one of a smaller number of measures that you can make to insulate your home.

“That creates commercial opportunity for the window and door industry – even at a time when budgets are tight.”

Flush casements have seen massive growth, accounting for approaching 30% of the market, much of that created and delivered by R9, which launched in 2011 and has since reshaped the window and door market.

Listers manufacturers R9 and R7, both of which are available in a heritage mechanically jointed option. “We sell a lot of R9 and R7. They’re premium products, they’re very authentic. R9 gives you reach into conservation areas, and installers can customise them to whatever their customers want them to be.

“But in the current economic climate, with pressure on household budgets coming at the same time as rising energy costs, you need to be able to offer an alternative.”

Listers has positioned its Timeless flush sash window in this space. Manufactured in Veka Halo’s heritage flush sash system, it offers an authentic alternative to timber with slim sightlines, a choice of Georgina bars, traditional ironmongery and dummy peg stay option.

Timeless is available in a classically welded option or traditional mechanically jointed 90° option. Attention to detail is also carried through to Listers’ dedicated colour range.

This includes a series of ‘Farrow and Ball-esque’ options, delivered on a two-week lead time.

“The aesthetics are similar. Timeless gives homeowners a choice of a more affordable and accessible energy efficient heritage flush system,” says Roy. “That’s important for our customers because they don’t lose the sale.”

Roy argues that although developed for the heritage sector, flush casements in fact have a far greater reach in a second or even third time replacement markets, where end users are looking for differentiation.

He says that this extends the reach of Timeless and R7 into more contemporary replacements, sitting comfortably alongside aluminium.

“It’s about giving people options,” Roy continues, “we supply a flush casement from Sheerline, which suites with the Sheerline bi-fold or lift-and-slide.

“We want to sell as much of that as we can but where budget is limited, switching to a hybrid aluminium and PVC-U sell gives our customers another option.

Roy adds that Listers delivers standard colours across its aluminium and PVC-U ranges on the same 10-day lead time, including the popular agate-grey-on-white.

“Now is the time to be knocking on doors and pushing energy efficiency,” he concludes. “That’s regardless of what type of property people live in but for owners of period homes, it’s that little bit more acute.”