The couple spoke to multiple consultants, but Mrs Peace found the advice they received was often geared towards meeting Passivhaus standards – an ultra-energy efficient type of building.
“There weren’t many in that pragmatic middle space where you are literally saying, ‘We’ve got this much money, where would we be best putting it?’,” Mrs Peace adds.
Perseverance during the past three years paid off, however, and the couple’s 1930’s detached house now has improved insulation, a heat pump, and an electric car charging point. Solar panels and battery will follow shortly, if all goes to plan.
Conscious of the confusion around approaches to retrofit, some organisations are moving to improve the advice available to homeowners. Among them is Ecofurb.
“We can model all the different options that are available, suitable for your home and your budget, and identify a package of measures,” says Liz Lainé, of Parity Projects, a housing data analysis company, which runs Ecofurb.
The firm offers this initial consultation for free, but full plans, with personalised input from a retrofit coordinator, start at £470. Ecofurb can also oversee any works as they are carried out by contractors to avoid “horror stories”, says Ms Lainé.
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