Sustainability stories - Oxford LM

Oxford LM

Oxford Meeting is blessed, but also burdened, with our plain-but-handsome 17th century premises fronting on St Giles, and our 1950s oak-panelled Meeting House in the garden, built like a Cotswold stone barn. We are deeply attached to them, but we have also been painfully aware for years of the icy draughts, the inadequate insulation, and the antiquated heating systems, which have all contributed to a hefty carbon footprint.

A decade ago we switched to a renewably-sourced electricity supplier, Good Energy. And at long last, in 2010, we have embarked on a radical, step by step eco-renovation. It takes a lot of time, money, and commitment; but at least we are now on the way.

Eco-renovating a Grade II listed building is complicated; and every last detail requires official consent. Aside from this, our two obvious problems were getting the methods and materials right, and finding the necessary funds.

Photo credit: Alan Allport

We began with our Library, a high-ceilinged room with three external walls. Turn off the gas fire and within a few minutes the place used to be freezing. We got detailed advice from a specialist eco-builder. In this kind of building (possibly in many buildings), lining with conventional insulation-board can lead to a gradual build-up of condensation between it and the wall, which can practically wipe out the insulation effect. And standard insulation board carries sizeable environmental costs in its manufacture. So we went for a wood-fibre based, breathable insulation called Pavatherm (www.natural-building.co.uk), on all walls, the floor, and the sloping ceiling, with breathable lime plaster on top. That work is now complete. Even without any heating, this formerly icy room now feels comfortable.

We are now moving on to our Meeting House itself, starting with the kitchen where work will soon begin. In the tall, barn-like space of our MH all the heating flies up to the ceiling. The ideal solution would be under-floor heating, from an air-source heat-pump itself powered by PV panels. But under-floor heating would mean tearing up the beautiful oak floor and putting in a new one. It seems the ‘right’ long-term solution, but could we possibly justify such expense? We are still wrestling with this.

By Alan Allport
 

We’d love to hear the story of you or your meeting too. Just email sunnivat@quaker.org.uk and tell us about it.