Retrofitting Hepburn Town Hall For Greater Thermal Efficiency

Built in the 1880s, the majestic Hepburn Town Hall continues to serve as the headquarters for Hepburn Shire Council and an active hub for community events including formal functions, craft markets and senior citizens’ services.

While the appeal of the hall is owed to its antique qualities, with grand timber doors and windows opening over stone ledges with ornate trimmings, the space was uncomfortably draughty, with expensive heating escaping throughout the building.

When John Van Rooden, the Sustainability Officer from the Council asked ecoMaster to help to turn this beautiful old building into a more sustainable space, we were only too happy to help.

The Problem

The main problem of the building was its inefficient ventilation systems. A thorough thermal efficiency assessment (conducted by ecoMaster’s Chief Technical Officer Maurice Beinat) found out that the building had ineffective ceiling exhaust fans and ventilated skylights. This set up of excessive ventilation was sucking out all the heated air produced by radiant heaters.

In addition, Hepburn Town Hall’s ceiling was uninsulated which meant that its expensive heating would only be conducted through the ceiling, into the ventilated roof space, and then lost outside.

The Solution

ecoMaster’s elegant draught proofing solutions, including the innovative product Draught Dodgers for doors and windows, were installed on the perimeters of the hall’s doors and windows. These solutions helped ensure that the building’s heating stays indoors while preventing outside draughts to affect the temperature inside.

Cleverly designed to merge with the existing architecture, these interventions helped preserve the vintage attributes of the building while significantly improving comfort and lowering energy costs.

Retrofitting buildings and homes for energy efficiency is ecoMaster’s contribution in lessening Australia’s overall carbon footprint. With our diverse range of DIY draught proofing and insulation solutions, we help households and commercial establishment become cool in summer and warm in winter with lesser energy bills.