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DOM AND KERSTIN McCANN
Why did you retrofit your home?
I’ve been interested in reducing carbon emissions for a long time and had made some small changes to our house but didn’t know enough. I also couldn’t find the right people to do the work. Then I came across Carbon Co-op and URBED and put my name down for a deep retrofit programme they were running with 12 homes in Greater Manchester.
They did an assessment of our house and developed a spec for the retrofit. After that, they got quotes from contractors and sorted out grants. Building work started in February 2014 and finished four months later. We then had solar panels fitted.
I learnt a lot from the whole process and wanted to be part of something collective, inspiring others and showing what can be done in real people’s houses to cut carbon.
What benefits have you seen?
After we did our first retrofit, even before fitting the air source heat pump, the house felt cosier. I didn’t find myself grabbing a sweater as often.
With the insulation and triple glazed windows, the temperature felt more even. The house was warmer in winter and slightly cooler in summer.
Before the first retrofit in 2014, we were spending about £900 on utilities every year. That came down to £600 for the gas and electricity, and when Feed-in Tariff (FIT) rates were at a high, we were generating around £400 of electricity. So, at one time, our net utility bills dropped to about £200 a year.
We haven’t had the air source heat pump for very long but it’s just as cosy as it was with gas central heating. Our first bill has shown what we can expect over a year: roughly a 55% reduction in household energy use and a 68% reduction in energy for heating and hot water.
Before we did all these retrofit works, we had some rooms that were too cold in winter or too warm in summer. Now all the rooms are just right.
