I didn’t even know what retrofit was
“There is simply no way we could have afforded these works if this home was our own. My message to anyone in social housing is to go for it if given the opportunity.”
By Emma Blower, Clarion resident
My family and I didn’t even know what retrofit was when we first moved from Norfolk to our Clarion bungalow in Fenland in 2016. Little did we know that six years later we’d be living in one of the smartest and most energy efficient social housing properties in the borough.
We first started getting information through on ‘retrofit’ in 2021 and immediately had our doubts – what are they doing to our property, how much upheaval would it bring and just how can our home help the planet… and would it even work? My thoughts quickly turned to my daughter, who has autism and a sensory disorder. She doesn’t like change and this could potentially rock her world, her happy place.
Our only way forward was to learn more so we could make an informed decision as a family. Clarion invited us to a public meeting and provided us dinner with a welcome cuppa. The team were friendly, approachable and transparent. On the seats were packs explaining who they each were, what retrofit was and how they would approach the works if we agreed to them. They showed us photographs of properties where work was already underway and a gentleman spoke about his own experience of retrofit so far.
I was impressed there and then. We would be getting new windows, new heating, new radiators, a new roof, better insulation and solar panels – all at no cost to us. It was barely believable. They then told us the work would make our house warmer, easier to heat and cheaper to run. The photos of finished homes looked amazing and we were on board right away.
We agreed to have the work done and the team visited us a few times before starting to answer any questions, explain the process and order, and to reassure us with a laugh and a joke.
A positive start
The work began in February 2022 and started with the heating – the messiest, noisiest and most invasive phase of them all. With our daughter’s wellbeing front of mind, our worries started to return. The team were amazing and did absolutely everything to help. They left her bedroom until last giving her time to get used to what was going on in her sanctuary. Nothing fazed the team – not even our two dogs – and they rolled with every challenge we threw at them. It was a really positive start.
The windows were next and were plain sailing – my mind went straight to Christmas and how I’d decorate our lovely big new windowsills with the family decorations.
No sooner were the windows installed were trenches dug out front and back to pave way for the cavity and wall insulation. Our home was being transformed.
The work flowed from one job to the next, week by week. Before we knew it, things were finished. In total it took seven months from beginning to end.
I can’t pretend it was without problems. Of course it felt upside down for a while.
Our TV and internet signal kept getting disconnected and we had to temporarily have both dish and aerial on our garden fence. But whenever an issue arose, it was promptly solved with a smile.
A journey but no regrets
As I write nearly one year later, I’m sitting in an efficient and modern-looking bungalow with all the latest technology – it’s been a journey to get here but we are so, so proud of our home. The work has updated the whole bungalow, made it more energy efficient and has brought running costs down considerably – going from around £105 a week before the work to £58 since. The property holds the heat and our new air-source heat pump runs quietly and efficiently.
Our new smart meter shows a symbol when the electricity is being powered by the solar panels and it is lovely using the washing machine or dishwasher knowing it’s at that moment costing us nothing. The paintwork – inside and out – over the new insulation makes the home look smart and is very easy to keep clean.
We’ve experienced all four seasons in our newly upgraded home. In the winter, we didn’t have a single trace of damp, mould or condensation anywhere in the bungalow. During the summer’s heatwave, we were cool and could regulate the temperate so we were comfortable inside at all times.
There is simply no way we could have afforded these works if this home was our own. My message to anyone in social housing is to go for it if given the opportunity. The benefits far outweigh the minor upheavals.
There is nothing more comforting then knowing our house is energy efficient, as good for us as the planet, and that the money we’re saving is in our pockets.
‘Retrofit’ – consider me an expert and a convert.
This piece first appeared on Inside Housing on 8 August 2023