Bradford Attic Room insulation – case study
Mrs McHale, Baden Street, Keighley, has benefited from Better Homes Yorkshire’s attic room insulation scheme, installed by Eclipse Energy.
Better Homes Yorkshire is working with Bradford Council and contractor Eclipse Energy across the district. As part of the Government’s Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme, to make energy efficiency improvements to home.
In total, 62.5mm of insulation and plasterboard (combined) were added internally to the walls of two attic bedrooms. Plus a staircase in their 1900s stone-built terraced home – bringing some great benefits to the family.
Since having the insulation installed, the McHales have been able to turn their thermostat down by a whopping 2 degrees. Ultimately, this has saved them money on their energy bills and made the home feel noticeably warmer.
The work can improve a property’s EPC rating by up to two bands. EPC is a measurement of energy efficiency in buildings. With A being extremely energy efficient and G having no energy efficiency at all. On average, the insulation measures can reduce a household’s annual energy bills. Furthermore, in a lifetime it can save up to 75.26 tonnes of carbon per property.
One of the rooms insulated is a bedroom for the couple’s daughter who how has a revamped space to call her own.
What did the customer have to say?
Mrs McHale explains: “Our daughter is really happy with her room now and it is reassuring to know she is sleeping in a warm and modernised space.”
Trickle vents were added to windows and extractor fans were placed in the kitchen and bathroom to further ventilate the home.
Mrs McHale added: “We’re finding we have less condensation and as a result are not having to open the windows which again keeps more heat in.”
The McHales signed up to the scheme after they were approached by Eclipse Energy, who were in the area making door-to-door enquiries.
Mrs McHale says: “You’re always a bit sceptical when someone knocks on your door offering you something for free. But the team was really reassuring and explained the benefits. Just a few straightforward checks were made to make sure we were eligible.
“Making energy improvements to our home was something we’d been considering anyway. We’d actually never considered getting our attic room insulated, but now it makes perfect sense. With energy bills rising, we are reassured that we’ve taken steps to help keep costs as low as possible.”
Additionally, Mrs McHale said “The work was carried out quickly, in just under two weeks. The team was able to work around our family’s routine. We have two children with additional needs, so it was important to us that any disruption was kept to a minimum.”
“This has now spurred us on to look at other energy improvements such as solar panels. I’d encourage anyone else in the area to take advantage of the free insulation scheme – there really is no catch!”
To qualify, households need to meet criteria, which includes a total combined income of less than £30K. Work is subject to structural surveys.