In January, we ran a special webinar about Home Retrofitting which was well attended and sparked lots of questions.

It was run by PeCAN and retrofit coordinator Julian Williams, who runs Abba Energy. He gave a detailed and informative presentation about home retrofit.

Want to watch the webinar back? Check it out here.

Here are some of the questions that cropped up:

1. Why would I need to upgrade my electricity supply if I get a heat pump?

Heat pumps take quite a heavy current and most properties are not suited to that current. If you have an old fuse box you will definitely need to upgrade that. Heat pumps make a heavy draw on electricity demand and most properties don’t have fuses that are large enough to take that load. You can easily check this with your electrician.

2. How big a gap should be left between the insulation and the eaves in the loft?

You can get V shaped boards which get jammed into the eaves and you can force insulation into the V. The top section is ridged and that allows a flow of air beneath the soffit of the roof up and between the rafters. They are pretty readily available.

3. Is there a limit to the volume of extension relative to the original home for a survey?

When we do surveys we look at everything within the heated property so it can all be surveyed.

4. Does thermal wallpaper work?

You will see a difference because you will see a reduction of condensation to that wall so we can’t say it does nothing. However, the impact is minimal in terms of energy efficiency because it’s too thin.

5. Does replacing doors and windows have a big impact when it comes to reducing energy loss?

A really well insulated window will be triple glazed and it will last a long time. It will be a pleasure to use. However, it is worth nothing that the heat loss through doors and windows is greater than the heat loss through well insulated floors, walls and roofs. 

Making changes to your home to reduce its carbon emissions is becoming increasingly as people seek to improve their home efficiency as well as bringing down their bills. Collectively, we can make a difference in many ways whether that's having solar panels installed, replacing windows, putting in loft insulation or getting a heat pump installed.

It might seem a daunting prospect but here at PeCAN, we are here to help and support you on your journey. Want to find out more about a Whole House Retrofit Plan? You can find out more information here.