Updated planning rules to help residents and businesses improve energy efficiency in their homes and buildings and address the Climate Emergency have been adopted by Bath and North East Somerset Council.

New guidance includes a raft of measures and practical guidance allowing more sustainable construction and retrofitting of buildings in B&NES.

The guidance is in the new Energy Efficiency Retrofitting and Sustainable Construction SPD, approved by Councillor Tim Ball, cabinet member for Planning and Licensing, in a single member decision.

Examples include advice on insulating solid floors, timber floor draft proofing, secondary glazing and air source heat pumps for central heating.

Councillor Ball said: "The practical guidance and advice included in the combined SPD can help all of us to make our homes and buildings more comfortable and energy efficient. Given that majority of emissions in B&NES arise from buildings, implementing retrofitting and sustainable construction measures will also allow residents to play their part in tackling the climate and ecological emergency."

The SPD includes a 'Quick Wins' checklist, which gives practical, free and cheap solutions to save fuel and water which homeowners and occupiers can implement immediately.

A revised 'Retrofitting and its Impact' table, allows residents to compare the cost, environmental rating, planning consents required and scalability of each retrofitting measure.

The Sustainable Construction & Retrofitting Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy in Historic Building SPDs were merged and updated to create the one document which can be found HERE: the energy site