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The Duke of Rothesay's charity offers a green solution to making historic and listed buildings in Scotland more energy efficient.

HRH The Prince Charles Duke of Rothesay addressed an audience of historic building and environmental practitioners, funders, public and private sector bodies, building preservation trusts and property specialists at the Palace of Holyroodhouse on Friday at an event to launch The Prince’s Regeneration Trust’s new publication: The Green Guide for Historic Buildings.

The publication is a comprehensive new guide for anyone wanting to improve the environmental performance of historic and listed buildings. It provides practical step-by-step advice on improving their environmental sustainability, expert opinion on sympathetic adaptations and, crucially, how effective they are likely to be in saving money and reducing carbon emissions.

"Climate change affects us all and that goes for historic buildings too. Our new publication explains how practical, cost-effective energy saving measures can be applied,” said Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive, The Prince's Regeneration Trust.

Mr Stewart Stevenson MSP, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change delivered the keynote speech. Tom Morton, Principal of ARC Architects spoke of the restoration and refurbishment of the Old Logie Schoolhouse in Angus, as an example of a successful low carbon project.

The guide - which contains a foreword by HRH The Duke of Rothesay - summarises key legislation and policy and takes the reader through the major steps from planning to completion. There are practical 'hints and tips' from leading heritage regeneration specialists and a quick reference FAQ section on how to obtain statutory consents. Cost comparisons are given on the move to cleaner energy, together with schemes and initiatives that can save money when it comes to adapting a building. The guide also uses 13 exemplar case studies to show where environmental efficiency has been successfully achieved in the UK.

When making historic and listed buildings more energy efficient, the guide advocates reducing energy needs before considering how to generate renewable energy on site:

"It makes no sense to affect the character of the building by introducing solar or photovoltaic panels if the hot water tank, pipes, floor and roof are inadequately insulated, the windows and doors are ill-fitting or the occupants leave all the lights on. Expenditure on loft insulation is a reasonably cheap and quick way of introducing beneficial energy saving measures into a building, and managing the way people within the building consume energy is also a crucial, yet achievable, task," explained Ros.

Ros acknowledged the support of HRH The Duke of Rothesay:

"We're absolutely delighted to have our President launch our Green Guide in Scotland. We would also like to thank Mr Stewart Stevenson MSP and Mr Tom Morton. It is absolutely fantastic to see so many people come together in Scotland for the guide’s launch and we hope that the event has inspired them to review the energy consumption of the historic buildings they are associated with and to take the opportunity to improve the environmental performance of these buildings.”

There has already been strong support for the guide from heritage specialists. John Miller, Chief Executive of the Heritage Trust for the Northwest, said:

“This is an indispensible guide for anyone wanting to make historic buildings more energy efficient and includes such excellent and comprehensive information that it will be a close companion for all my future projects.”

Although the guide focuses on predominantly listed buildings, it has direct relevance and application to any traditional building type. Scotland has a rich architectural heritage, typified by its castles, fine historic houses, handsome cities, large industrial complexes, and the swathes of traditional vernacular buildings that define its unique and spectacular rural landscape.

Mr Stewart Stevenson MSP said:

“This guide from The Prince’s Regeneration Trust is an excellent addition to a developing range of material that gives owners and managers of listed, historic and traditional properties clear and proven guidance on appropriate interventions, backed up by case studies and I am especially pleased to see Scottish examples in the guide.”

The Scottish Government has set significant targets to tackle climate change and reduce carbon emissions; The Prince’s Regeneration Trust’s Green Guide is an important and accessible document that will ably assist practitioners, professionals and building owners alike, who themselves have the opportunity to help towards achieving the government’s targets.

The Green Guide for Historic Buildings may be purchased online at www.tsoshop.co.uk

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