Gathering Information#
The more information you can provide about your building and how you use it, the easier it is for your group, professionals, and grant funders to see the right way forward. One aim of this programme is to help you gather the information you and they need.
Ideally, groups will gather the following kinds of information for their own use during the sessions and then package it into building profile they can pass to others. We intend to develop a standardised format based on the existing practices of heating professionals and energy efficiency consultants, and in consultation with architects and a major grant funder, all of whom think this would help them serve you better.
Building information. This means the building’s construction - the walls, windows, roof, any existing insulation, the state of draughtproofing, what kind of lighting it has, and so on. You’ll need at least the basics for thinking about what changes will work for you, with more detail for formal heat loss assessement or calculations of payback periods.
Building Use Diary. This is the calendar that details what spaces are in use when. We heat buildings to make people comfortable, so this is important information.
Future plans. How you use the building now might not be how you use it in the future! Many community groups want to have their buildings used more. Many churches are thinking about making their worship spaces usable during the week for other purposes. We don’t have a specific way for you to record your plans, but it is very important for professionals advising you to understand what they are.
Heating system information. This includes what type of boiler or other heat appliance you have and how the heat gets to the spaces - for instance, what kind of radiators you have and what diameter pipework feeds them. It also includes what heating controls are available on the system, what the settings are, and what the practice is for changing the settings, like if someone programmes it every week against a changing building use diary.
Energy meter readings. It is impossible to make accurate heat loss estimates and understand payback periods without this. Meter readings are also very useful for understanding whether the heating is under proper control and for knowing what the cost of heating and lighting for setting your room hire charges.
Temperature and relative humidity readings. We use these to understand whether your building has heating, heating control, ventilation, or solar gain issues that need to be addressed. Most participating venues find that the heating is going into spaces at the wrong times due to poor heating controls. This is very wasteful and often easy to fix.
Do what you can!
We know community groups find assembling this information hard. “The best is the enemy of the good” - do what you can and you will still be in a much better place for it. Even making sure someone in your group has good access to any existing records about the building and heating system is a good start. We have tips for each item that should help.