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Learn about Green Heritage Homes

Green Heritage Homes is a project to improve understanding of energy efficiency works for listed buildings, and to showcase positive examples of retrofit.

The project aims to:

  • Enable sensitive retrofitting of listed buildings by growing knowledge and confidence among householders and professionals. 
  • Demystify the listed building consent process for energy improvement works.
  • Offer guidance on effective retrofit solutions informed by conservation principles and technical understanding of traditional buildings and fabrics.

Phase II of the project is currently live. Please continue reading for more information.

For further information on the Green Heritage Homes project, please email alexandra_best@bathnes.gov.uk.

Phase II (2025 to 2028)

We launched Phase II of Green Heritage Homes on 1 April 2025. It is due to run for a fixed 3 year term until 2028 and is joint-funded by Historic England, the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (WECA), and Curo. We will continue to work in close partnership with Bath and West Community Energy (BWCE).

Phase II aims

Phase II aims to continue to deliver the engagement and retrofit work started in Phase I, with focus on on the dissemination of project learnings and support of other local authorities to adopt similar measures, such as the Level 0 pre-app pioneered in Bath and North East Somerset.

Our project actions include:

  • continued offer of the Service Level 0 pre-app to facilitate the sensitive retrofit of listed buildings
  • the relaunch of listed building energy surveys in partnership with a retrofit assessor from BWCE
  • seeking to facilitate and enable sensitive retrofit where appropriate by working with applicants, including local social housing providers
  • progressing a potential Local Listed Building Consent Order (LLBCO) for installation of solar panels on listed buildings in specifically defined circumstances
  • investigating potential barriers to retrofit, such as the national skills shortage.

Phase I (2023 to 2025)

Phase I of the project officially ended 31st March 2025. 

Please note services such as the Listed Building Energy Champions are now closed to applications. 

Phase I of Green Heritage Homes was launched as a government funded Local Energy Advice Demonstrator (LEAD) project, run in partnership with Bath and West Community Energy (BWCE) (project lead), Bath Preservation Trust, The Centre for Sustainable Energy, People Powered Retrofit, and the South West Net Zero Hub. 

The project focused on listed buildings within the district as a ‘hard to treat’ retrofit type, recognising the unique challenge that comes with upgrading their energy performance, as well as their specific planning requirements. 

The project aimed to deliver the following actions:

  • create and pilot a Level 0 pre-app service for consideration of retrofit measures in listed buildings. The pre-app aimed to inform early stages of a retrofit project ahead of a listed building consent application.
  • create opportunities for owner-occupiers to become a 'Listed Building Energy Champion to receive a discounted Listed Building Survey, as well as a free Energy Performance Certificate (if the building didn’t already have one). In exchange, Champions participated in case studies and shared information on energy use with the project team to help inspire others.
  • increase engagement with owner-occupiers, landlords, and heritage professionals through webinars, talks, presentations, and surgeries, to promote guidance on retrofit and the listed building process.
  • create accessible guidance, including listed building fact sheets and a series of 'bite size' videos on different retrofit measures
  • monitor retrofit casework to track the retrofit listed building consent applications received and decided per year.

Further advice and support

Please expand the following headings to learn more:

For general planning advice on works to listed buildings, please visit our Listed Buildings webpage.

You can contact a Conservation Officer using the duty line at 01225 394041 or email conservation_andplanning@bathnes.gov.uk on Tuesdays and Thursdays for any conservation and planning queries.

For more detailed advice, you may be advised to apply for a pre-app; you can find out more about available services and apply using our website.

We offer a Level 0 pre-application service for homeowners who are interested in improving the energy of their listed building but don’t know where to start. You will have the chance to discuss retrofit options with a Conservation Officer and look at the heritage considerations of different energy efficiency measures.

The service is tailored to an applicant’s needs, budget, and the identified characteristics of the listed building. The aim of the pre-app is to clearly identify the next steps of a retrofit project and submitting a listed building application with the best chance of success.

Applicants for the Level 0 pre-app receive:

  • allocated Conservation Officer to manage the pre-app.
  • a site visit to investigate the listed building and identify any potential restrictions or opportunities for energy efficiency works.
  • pre-app report outlining suitability of retrofit measures and the next steps to progress energy efficiency works.

Schemes that are submitted via the Level 0 pre-app service will also have the opportunity to participate in the Green Heritage Homes project by creating case studies of listed building retrofit within Bath and North East Somerset.

Apply for a Level 0 pre-app

Contact our Planning & Conservation team with quick questions about the planning process and listed buildings by calling 01225 394041 or emailing conservation_andplanning@bathnes.gov.uk on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

We are working in partnership with Bath and West Community Energy to launch an offer for joint energy surveys in Autumn 2025, as part of the Green Heritage Homes project. These surveys will provide retrofit advice for listed buildings from both a heritage and a technical energy perspective.

Surveys will include a shared home visit from a Council Conservation Officer, providing Service Level 0 pre-app advice, and a BWCE assessor, providing one of BWCE’s energy surveys.

Surveys can be booked via the BWCE website and are eligible for Retrofit West discount vouchers; find out more here.

If you are the owner of a property that has been empty for six months and over, the council offers financial incentives and practical support to help bring them back into use. Details can be found on our No use empty page, by contacting the Empty Property Officer directly or by phone at 01225 396411.

There are two key pieces of legislation covering Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES). Use this guidance for an overview of the differences between them, how they apply to listed buildings, and how the regulations work together.

To find practical guidance, case studies and webinars, please explore the following links: