John recently invited us into his home, where he talked to us about the benefits of the retrofit and the difference it has made to his warmth and comfort. He also mentioned that his lovely dog, Coco, is enjoying the warmer environment too!
During the retrofit, John’s home was upgraded with external wall insulation and a freshly rendered finish on the outside of his building. Energy efficient windows and doors were also installed, along with new, more efficient storage heaters, extractor fans and a smart thermostat that monitors humidity levels. These alert us if humidity gets too high and is at risk of causing damp and mould – allowing us to intervene at an early stage if needed.
The initial project began last year in partnership with Stratford-on-Avon District Council and is part of the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator, a UK-wide scheme which will upgrade around 2,000 social homes. Currently over 80% of our homes have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of C or above and this year, work will begin on a further 136 homes, with the aim of all our properties to achieving level C or above by 2030. We are working to retrofit the homes with the lowest EPC ratings first by making the fabric of the building more energy efficient and fitting smart technology to help monitor energy use and living conditions.
Our visit to John highlighted the real-life benefits customers get from retrofitting. He commented on how strongly he’d recommend retrofit, and how the disruption caused was minimal. With the current challenges around rising energy costs, he is hopeful that a better insulated home and more efficient heaters will help lower his bills this winter, as well as keeping him (and Coco) warm and cosy through the coldest months of the year.
