Essex customers cut energy usage in half thanks to sustainable home upgrades

Patrick and Mary recently received energy efficiency upgrades to their home which have significantly improved their warmth and comfort: “We’ve been here nearly 20 years. The carpets used to lift off the floor, which no longer occurs. There has been a massive positive change”. They’ve found that their home now feels “more comfortable and solid”, particularly after internal insulation work was completed on the first floor. They’ve also noticed a significant saving on their energy bills, which became more apparent in the winter months.

Patrick and Mary live on Mundon Road, Essex, in a home which previously held a low Energy Performance Certificate rating of D. This caused a cold and uncomfortable living environment, as well as high energy costs and consumption.

What improvements were made?
Energy efficiency improvement works were needed to improve their home’s overall Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating. Contractors visited the customers’ home to install insulation and energy efficient solutions, including internal wall insulation in the stairwell and first floor bedrooms, triple-glazed windows, underfloor insulation, and roof-mounted solar panels.

Did Patrick and Mary find it disruptive?
Our customers were able to live in their home while the work was being carried out. They were also provided with a storage container which sat at the front of the property, keeping their possessions safe and secure throughout the works.

To minimise disruption, materials were delivered through a first-floor window, allowing Patrick and Mary to continue using the front and back doors for access. Small access points were created to install the underfloor insulation without having to lift large areas of floorboards. Contractors also put-up barriers to reduce the amount of dust travelling to other areas of the home.

How much energy are our customers saving?
As a result of the upgrades, Patrick and Mary saw a huge decrease in their heat demand, which dropped from 203kWh to 88kWh per year. Their Energy Performance Certificate rating also improved from a D to a B. The completed project resulted in our customers having a more affordable, comfortable, and healthy home.

In line with our commitment to becoming a net zero organisation by 2050, our team worked with contractors to make our customers’ home more energy-efficient and cost-effective for years to come. We're continuing to make more of our customers' homes more energy efficient and have already received great customer feedback.

“So happy with the works! We only had the works completed a couple of months ago and we are already noticing the difference in our monthly payments on our pre-paid meter.”

“Extremely happy with the works and the end result, I can already tell the difference and looking forward to seeing how much of a difference it makes throughout winter.”

"The scaffolders were professional, tidy, polite and respectful. My home was tidy, there was no mess and the works had been carried out. You are really making the whole project seem easy to us customers. So thank you."