David, who owns a property in Hawkley, heard about the Petersfield Area SuperHomes project from his local county councillor.

Ran by Petersfield Climate Action Network (PeCAN), the project involved a professional, independent retrofit coordinator carrying out a survey and producing a report.

It offers step-by-step guidance about the changes to make and in which order to do them in.

The main recommendations were to have solar panels installed as well as a heat pump and insulation and ventilation.

“I had this idea that I wanted to get off-grid because we use a lot of electricity. We have an electric car and an EV charger.

"But in order to run the house, we were told we would need about 70 solar panels in order to get entirely off grid.”

There wasn’t the space to achieve that and so, instead, David and his wife installed 37 panels, the maximum number of panels their various roof spaces would accommodate efficiently.

These generate approximately 15KwP and are complimented by 38Kwh of battery storage. Around 10Kwh of this is reserved as a back-up in a power cut.

They explored the idea of having a heat pump installed but have put that idea on hold for now.

David also owns a property across the road from where he lives which he rents out and he decided he wanted to see how he could improve its carbon footprint. They have had a heat pump fitted.

He said: “There were a few things that needed to be done including extractor fans and underfloor insulation and solar panels on the roof as well as air source heating.

“I was absolutely blown away by it. Everything works properly. All the negatives I ever heard about air source heating have been proven wrong. It’s quiet, you can’t hear it.

"It works well and keeps the house warm. An added bonus it that it has made the easier to let it out - people like the idea of renting somewhere with green credentials and where they don’t have to pay for all their electricity.”

So, would David recommend having a survey?

“I would absolutely recommend it. I think anybody who owns a property and plans to live in it for the long term should have it done. The source heating generally has a longer payback and is a more nuanced decision. 

“What’s useful is the fact that it’s a complete survey and you get a complete look at the house."

So, what does a retrofit project entail?

A professional retrofit coordinator carries out an independent, impartial assessment looking at the energy efficiency of your home. They take that assessment and produce a plan of the changes that you could make to your home to reduce your energy bills, increase your comfort levels and reduce your carbon footprint. Recommendations will vary from house to house but will often include the following measures:

• Loft insulation
• Cavity wall insulation
• Double glazing
• Ventilation
• Solar panels to generate renewable energy on the roof
• Changing a gas or oil heating system for a low carbon heat system such as a heat pump

Critically the plan gives you a whole house view and is independent, giving you the confidence to engage with installers when it is right for you. PeCAN can provide a list of qualified Retrofit Coordinators and Installers that operate in the local area for you to engage with.

To find out more, contact us.