William Dyer Electrical - Specialist Electrical Contractors for Energy efficient refurbishment of Grade II listing buildings in the UK

1. William Dyer Electrical (UK) Limited
Energy Efficient Refurbishment of UK
Listed Buildings

2. Energy efficient refurbishment of listed buildings
There are around half a million buildings in the UK which have been placed on the Statutory List of
Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. These buildings are referred to as ‘listed’. Of
the listed buildings in the UK, 94% of these are Grade II listed which means that they are buildings
that are of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve them.
The main stipulations where listed buildings are concerned are that they may not be demolished,
extended or altered without permission from local planning authorities.
Energy consumed in occupied properties is accountable for almost 50% of the UK’s CO2 emissions.
Furthermore, 22% of the emissions are produced in public and commercial properties. Of these
properties, a significant amount of them were built before 1919 which means that many of the
measures installed are dated and inefficient in energy terms.
The Government aims to improve the energy efficiency within
existing buildings and with the support of planning authorities
and guidance from English Heritage, energy efficiency
improvements can be made to UK listed buildings enabling
them to comply with new legislation (Part L of the Building Regulations).
Refurbishments to listed buildings can be made once agreed with planning authorities and provided
that they are sympathetically executed and in keeping with the building’s original character.
There are a variety of measures that can be undertaken in order to enhance the energy efficiency
within listed buildings including:
 Smart meter installation
 Heating and insulating the property
 Installing energy efficient controls
 Low energy lighting installation
William Dyer Electrical (UK) Ltd is a specialist electrical contractor for the energy efficient
refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings. They have worked on a number of refurbishments of
Grade II listed buildings to restore the properties to their former glory whilst ensuring that the most
energy efficient installations are carried out in a manner in keeping with the original features of the
buildings.
William Dyer Electrical (UK) Limited
Specialist Electrical Contractors for energy efficient refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings

3. They have been employed as sub-contractor and main contractor on variety of commercial and
public sector Grade II listed building refurbishment projects.
Whilst approval is granted far in advance of the refurbishments, the William Dyer Electrical team
have to ensure that throughout the projects, installations are carried out in accordance with building
conservation and sustainability in mind. They work closely with English Heritage and conservation to
ensure that refurbishments are carried out sympathetically at all times.
Manchester College - Harpurhey Baths Conversion
In 2010, William Dyer Electrical (UK) Ltd completed an 18 month project as sub-contractor for
Quarmby Construction to transform the Harpurhey Baths at Manchester College into a state of the
art educational facility. This project was part new-build, part restoration of the Grade II listed public
baths to provide new teaching accommodation to supplement the award-winning Rochdale Road
6th Form College.
William Dyer Electrical (UK) Limited
Specialist Electrical Contractors for energy efficient refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings

4. Challenges:
The Listed section of the restoration had to be reinstated to its original state using traditional
building techniques whilst utilising modern electrical wiring techniques and technology beneath the
surface. The wiring had to be replaced behind the existing Victorian tiles without disruption. William
Dyer Electrical (UK) Ltd completed the 18 month project on time, to budget and with minimal
disruption.
William Dyer Electrical (UK) Limited
Specialist Electrical Contractors for energy efficient refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings

5. Shena Simon Campus – Manchester College
Following the successful completion of the refurbishment of Grade II Victorian swimming baths into
a state of art facility at Harpurhey Campus, Manchester College, William Dyer Electrical won a
prestigious £1.5million contract at Shena Simon building at Manchester College – another Grade II
listed building, awarded in 2012.
The Shena Simon building is a Grade II listed building located in the city of Manchester. William Dyer
Electrical was employed as principal contractor following the successful completion of the
Harpurhey contract and their experience in working on sympathetic yet energy efficient restoration
processes needed when refurbishing listed buildings.
The 6 phase electrical installation project at Shena Simon involved a complete electrical rewire and
boiler replacement programme to modernise existing installations which were expending significant
levels of energy.
William Dyer Electrical (UK) Limited
Specialist Electrical Contractors for energy efficient refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings

6. William Dyer Electrical worked closely with conservation experts to ensure that the installations
were conducted sympathetically, whilst energy efficient. One of the main challenges was that the
college had to remain open and occupied throughout the installations.
In addition to the college facilities, the building houses two theatres requiring public access
throughout the installation period. To ensure the safety of the public and their staff, William Dyer
Electrical invested in Health & Safety and Risk Management training for their whole workforce
(including Management).
Expertise
In order to carry out such refurbishment works on listed buildings, contractors must have an
understanding of the unique nature of the project in hand. They must also recognise the significance
of the requirements of historic building restoration which requires extensive technical expertise.
When refurbishing Grade II listed properties, there are often technical and aesthetic conflicts which
can arise which require highly creative solutions and technical expertise in order to for the works to
be carried out to the correct standard and in keeping with the requirements outlined by the planning
authorities.
William Dyer Electrical (UK) Ltd have the knowhow and expertise to carry out large scale specialist
electrical contracting services for the energy efficient refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings.
For more information, visit www.wmdyer.co.uk or call 01706 212 815 to speak to a Contract
Manager.
To visit our website or find out more about William Dyer Electrical, scan
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William Dyer Electrical (UK) Limited
Specialist Electrical Contractors for energy efficient refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings