Energy Seminar – TT25 Week 5: Exploring Energy Reduction in Historic Housing – A Case Study of National Trust Conservation Area Cottages
Holly Bailey-Burnley
- Start Tuesday 27 May 2025 5:00pm
- Finish Tuesday 27 May 2025 6:15pm
- Venue School of Geography & the Environment
- Postcode OX1 3AN
- Register for event
THIS IS AN IN PERSON AND ONLINE EVENT
Summary: This seminar presents a summary of MSc Energy Systems thesis research examining approaches to reducing energy impact in National Trust Conservation Area holiday cottages. The study investigates spatial clustering methods to identify similar properties and explores the potential for Air-Source Heat Pump implementation in historic buildings. Using EnergyPlus modelling on a case study cluster, the research suggests possibilities for energy savings while considering the challenges of balancing cost, carbon reduction, and heritage conservation. The work contributes to ongoing discussions about sustainable approaches to historic building management, offering insights into the complexities of decarbonising traditional housing stock within conservation constraints.
Speaker: Holly’s passion for energy began during her Environmental Science degree at the University of York, where she became a member of the sustainable biomass programme and wrote her undergraduate thesis on wood pellet biomass. She went on to complete an MSc in Energy Systems at the University of Oxford over 2 years, during which she freelanced on various projects, including decarbonising heat across Europe and supporting the development of IWA42 Net Zero Guidelines. After graduating, Holly joined AECOM’s Sustainability and Decarbonisation Advisory team as a Technical Consultant and Framework Manager, working across DESNZ’s heat network zoning programme. Currently, Holly works for City Science, an SME specialising in decarbonisation, where she continues her work in heat networks, delivers local area energy and climate action plans for local authorities, and more recently EPC reform.