Cumbria Showhome Demonstrates Importance of Retrofit
A showhome promoting sustainable technologies and and retrofit measures has been created in a small town in Cumbria.
The two bedroomed social housing property is filled with technology and information to highlight the importance retrofitting has on our homes and environment.
The showhome is being used to help inform the public on the impact retrofit can have on peoples’ homes and bank balances.
The showhome is one of 90 once poorly performing homes in Abbeytown and neighbouring Oughterside that have been transformed into some of the most environmentally friendly and efficient homes in the UK.
This retrofit project was carried out by housing association Home Group, which has around 10,000 homes in Cumbria.
The homes received what’s termed ‘whole-house’ retrofit works, which has improved thermal comfort, indoor air quality and minimised space heating demand in-order-to reduce customers’ energy bills.
Customers involved in the project have reported massive savings on their energy bills.
One of the customers, Queenie Fearon, saw her bills come down dramatically thanks to the energy efficiency savings made to her home.
She is able to enjoy warmth and comfort at a much lower monthly cost, though in part because she was an active participant in the retrofit and had the new technology in her home explained to her, in a way which worked for her.
Queenie said: “I’ll be honest, at first, I was really concerned about the cost. With the old system I knew how to work out my bills out.
“But I found my bills are excellent. If you know how to work the system, the houses are so well insulated that it shouldn’t cost a lot.
“I’m comfortable with the new system because I understand it. I just told them ‘I’m nearly 70 and I’ve got autism; I’ve got disabilities, but I need to understand what you’re doing for me’.
“They got me a book and were very, very patient with me. I understand my heating system. If I’m unsure on something I can look in the book, or I can ring someone up and I know what the problem is and can tell them – it is a very big help.”
“When you live alone and don’t have close family, and you’ve got a disability, and there’s big changes it is very invasive. So, to have someone go through everything and have the patience to clearly explain it has made such a big difference.”
Home Group received £1.2m from the Social Hosing Decarbonisation Fund to carry out the project and added a further £3.3m of their own investment.
The works included installing external wall insulation, cavity wall and loft insulation top-ups, new energy efficient double-glazing, front and rear door replacements. In addition, existing heating and hot water systems were replaced with air source heat pumps, and solar PV with battery storage was installed.
Monitoring equipment was installed to measure internal temperatures, relative humidity, carbon dioxide levels and help measure how successful the works were in reducing carbon and increasing thermal performance.
The showhome highlights the impact of retrofitting as well as the work of the three partners involved – Home Group, Cumberland County Council, and PROCAST.
