Welcome to National Maintenance Week ~ November 23rd to 30th 2012
Regular maintenance is vital for all properties, regardless of age, scale or purpose. Now entering its 11th year, the SPAB's annual National Maintenance Week brings practical and straightforward advice on maintenance and repairs to everyone who looks after a property.
National Maintenance Week takes place at the end of November, just as winter weather threatens the worst.
A badly maintained building cannot be an energy efficient building. That’s the key message of the SPAB's 2012 National Maintenance Week campaign.
This year NMW precedes the launch of the Government’s Green Deal drive to make buildings across the country more energy efficient. The launch is likely to take place in Spring 2013.
Since 2009 the SPAB has co-ordinated a ground-breaking research project into the energy efficiency performance of old buildings. Fascinatingly, results have shown that traditionally constructed properties perform better than commonly supposed. In fact, SPAB's on-the-spot research suggested that 73% of the traditionally-built walls sampled - including walls of limestone, slate, granite and cob - actually lose less heat than expected!
But another thing our research has shown, is that, no matter the construction, material or age of a building, if it is poorly maintained it cannot be energy efficient no matter what else you do to it. For example leaking roofs, faulty gutters and blocked drains can lead to dampness - and a damp building may well be cold and possibly unhealthy.
With this in mind, the SPAB's NMW campaign for 2012 goes back to basics, encouraging homeowners (and people who care for public buildings such as churches, village halls and local authority properties) to be aware of the very simple, economic and achievable maintenance steps they can take at the beginning of winter to stave off costly major faults and damage at a later date - and improve energy efficiency. See our ten tips to make a difference.
Good maintenance makes a positive contribution to sustainable living, but there’s more to sustainability than saving energy. It’s about making common sense decisions about our immediate environment - the places where we live, work and meet.
On founding the Society back in 1877 one of the clarion calls of William Morris was: “Put protection in place of restoration. Stave off decay by daily care.” That simple message is as vital today as it was 135 years ago!
Last year Jonathan Foyle of TV's 'Climbing Great Buildings' was roped in to lead SPAB's 10th annual National Maintenance Week campaign.
As Chief Executive of the World Monuments Fund Britain he is doubly committed to highlighting the vital importance of maintenance for buildings of all types.
