CAMBRIDGE —If you own an old house, Christopher Cooper offers hope for your wallet.

You don’t have to stuff your walls full of insulation and replace wood windows to be save money your energy bills. The heritage advocate and architect said major renovations are the last thing you should consider, because they can create bigger problems than they solve.

“Canada has a tendency of jumping on bandwagons of what’s new and modern. In reality, simple fixes will do,” he said.

“You don’t need to be dumping tonnes and tonnes of money into your house.”

There’s nothing wrong with an old house that a little education and thoughtful repairs can’t handle, said Cooper, editor of Edifice Old Home Magazine.

“Old houses are inherently green, because if you leave them the way they were built and just learn how to make these houses function again, they’re more energy efficient than new houses,” he said.

“Don’t listen to anybody. Don’t listen to me. Listen to your house. Whatever has been there in the past that was supposed to be there, it won’t do you any wrong,” he said.

Then there’s the practical ecology of keeping tonnes of plaster and old windows from filling local landfills.

Cooper brings his old-ain’t-so-bad evangelism to Cambridge on Saturday.

Waterloo Region’s heritage advisory committee organized Cooper’s daylong seminar at the University of Waterloo’s school of architecture in Cambridge.

Tickets cost $30 for students, $45 for individuals and $70 for families. A catered lunch is included. Resister in advance by calling 519-575-4047.

Cooper said he has trained in Britain as an architect, structural engineer, plumber and electrician. He’s settled in Brantford with his family.

He’s bought and restored 17 old homes in Europe and North America that are now rented out.

“The problem is we fix them up and we don’t want to sell them.”

Cooper decries Canada’s renovation cult, where only the newest — often cheapest — solution is pitched on home fix-it television shows.

“It’s just an excuse for people to sell products. What’s different about us is we’re not selling anything, except for a subscription to a magazine.”

Old houses wouldn’t still be around if they weren’t built well. It’s modern houses that are junk, he said.

“The poorest quality homes for energy efficiency and quality were basically built in the 1950s to 1980s. They are the worst for energy efficiency on the planet.”

In Cambridge, a city with a reputation for protecting old structures, about 3,500 homes were built before 1939. That’s 10 per cent of the houses across the city.

“Once the war started, construction processes really changed,” said Valerie Spring, the city’s heritage planner.

The city offers grants of up to $5,000 a year to help owners of 400 homes with heritage designations. The money is only available for restoration and repair.

While Cooper rails against the renovation cult he sees sweeping the country, don’t think he’s against investing money into repairs on old houses. Spend carefully to enhance the old house you’ve got, he said. Don’t try to make it something it isn’t.

Cooper said the push to replace old wood windows with energy efficient vinyl ones is “a con.”

The only problem with wooden windows is they’ve been abused over the years by homeowners, instead of being kept in good repair, he said.

“A wooden window . . . with a wooden storm has about double the (energy) efficiency of any replacement window on the market.”

As for insulation, he advocates putting it in your attic but not necessarily into your walls. Pumping in foam is a risky option for Cooper, who’s convinced it’s a product that still makes people ill. Poorly installed installation traps moisture, leading to rot. And insulation makes an inviting home for ants and rodents looking for a place to nest.

If the dead-air space in walls is properly sealed, it works as well as spending thousands of dollars to fill it with insulation

“In reality, if you use $300 worth caulking it would do the same thing.”kswayze@therecord.com