Why retrofit is the new key to keep your house warm and cosy – and more energy efficient
Nowadays, more and more people are making changes to their home to improve its energy efficiency. Whether this is to lower energy bills, or feel cosier at home.
We’re also more aware of the impact that our home has on the environment, such as gas boilers emitting harmful carbon, and think about how we can make a better future for our families.
That’s where home retrofit can make a difference.
But what does it mean?
Retrofitting simply means making improvements to your current home so that it uses energy more efficiently. So instead of moving home, or building from scratch, you can add or modify things to improve your home.
Many of the most common ways of retrofitting are nothing new. For instance, you might insulate your loft, or upgrade your double-glazed windows to triple glazing. It also includes lots of newer technologies such as installing solar panels or heat pumps.
Why is retrofitting so important?
With rising energy prices over recent years, most of us are a lot more aware of the cost to heat and power our homes. This is compounded by the fact that Scotland has some of the leakiest homes in Europe* when it comes to retaining heat.
To top it off, since 13% of Scotland’s carbon emissions come from our homes**, lowering our carbon footprint should ‘start at home’.
Who needs to retrofit their home?
Unless your home is very new, it’s likely to have been built at a time when little attention was given to energy efficiency. For Scotland to meet its net zero target, it is estimated that 1.5 million private homes in Scotland will need to undergo retrofit measures.
Not only is retrofit important for our planet, but also our comfort. Retrofit makes it easier to keep your home warm and comfortable through measures like insulation. It can also tackle issues with damp, not to mention making things more cost-effective by lowering the energy demand of your home.
Retrofitting isn’t just an investment in your home’s comfort; it also adds value to your property. Depending on the changes you make, it could increase the value of your home potentially by as much as £10,000.***
So, you want to make your home more efficient - but how do you start this process?
With over 35 years’ experience, Changeworks is with you every step of the way to reduce your home’s carbon emissions and improve its energy efficiency for a warmer, drier and easier to heat home.
Retrofit service EcoCosi from Changeworks provides tailored advice and a quality service. They can support you with a home assessment, help find a trusted installer and ensure the work has been done to the highest standard. The service doesn’t just focus on one or two aspects of retrofit, but looks at how to make your house more efficient as a whole.
Find out more
To find out more about home retrofit and how EcoCosi can help you visit changeworksinfo.org/ecocosi
* Internal Tado User Survey (Feb 2021)
** Heat in Buildings Strategy – achieving net zero emissions in Scotland’s buildings (2021), Scottish Government
*** Better homes, Cooler Planet. : How low-carbon technologies can reduce bills and increase house value (2022), Scottish Power & World Wildlife Fund