With thanks to Nathan for sharing this case study with us.
Type of house, including rough date it was built : Semi-detached bungalow, 1950s
Improvements carried out: Solar PV with a diverter for water heating, Underfloor Insulation, Heat pump running a water-based underfloor heating system and water heating. Previously installed cavity wall insulation and double glazing.
Future plans for improvements: Battery Storage
What went right? What improvement have you seen or benefitted from as a result?: Underfloor Heating run by a heat pump is a very efficient way to heat a house evenly. Each room is a different ‘zone’, and can be set to a different temperature. Unfortunately, I don’t have any figures for running costs before and after, as the work was carried out during a full renovation of the house before I moved in.
What went wrong? What would you do differently? Any barriers that were identified?: Luckily, this has mostly been done during a house renovation, meaning I wasn’t living in it during the work. Some parts of the project wouldn’t have been very practical, like the underfloor insulation, if I was living here at the time.
I may have insulated the house too well. During the sunnier weather recently, the house got up to 28°C and wouldn’t cool down! This is great for the winter, but not so much for the summer.
One thing I wish I’d known is: Heat pump installation is a big job, and will take about a week, maybe even longer for a bigger system. Don’t underestimate this, and the amount of people that will be in and out of the house. The incoming fuse for the house electrics may need upgrading, and the electricians may want to installed a separate fuse box just for the heat pump, depending on their regulations. Be firm with them regarding the placement of the fuse box! They will probably want to put it where it is most convenient for them, regardless of where that might be.
Winter is not the best time to get one installed, as you’ll be without heating and hot water for a while. You may also encounter problems that take time to resolve, which will leave you without heating for even longer.
My top tip for a Future Fit Home is: There are so many options to choose from, and so much information out there, it can be a bit mind blowing. Look into reviews and see how other people are getting on with their choices, so you can learn from their mistakes. Whittle your options down until you feel you’ve done enough research and go for it!
Get the best option you can afford at the time. Don’t feel pressured or guilt-tripped into buying a more efficient or greener system if you can’t afford it. Doing anything at all is better than doing nothing.