Why we take a whole house approach to home retrofit

Taking a whole house approach is one of the key factors in ensuring that home retrofit is as effective as possible at reducing the carbon footprint of a property.

Whole house retrofit means taking a property to near net-zero energy demand. This likely includes multiple measures or pieces of retrofit work.

Why is the whole house approach the best approach?

It’s pointless having an efficient boiler without addressing other issues in the building fabric

When we think of energy efficiency in the home, we probably think of our boilers as the key factor. Given that heating accounts for 60% of an average energy bill, that’s no surprise. But there’s absolutely no point in upgrading to an efficient boiler if you are not addressing other elements of the home.

The big issue is that most of our heating money is just going out of the window (quite literally), escaping as heat because of the house fabric itself. This is usually because of windows that are single-glazed, doors that have gaps around the edges, and uninsulated floors, roofs, and walls. All of this means that heat is lost from our homes.

The patchwork effect of single measures

Many homeowners tend to tackle one energy efficiency issue at a time. It could be a problematic boiler, so they swap it for a newer one. Or maybe a damp patch on a wall needs attention. Some might be dealing with a drafty chimney that needs blocking.

These problems all need fixing. But when we fix them individually, we’re not really boosting the overall energy efficiency of our homes.

For real energy efficiency, our homes need to work together as a team.

Homes often end up with a mishmash of fixes because people tackle one problem at a time. Imagine different owners over the years adding their bit to this mix. Trouble might be lurking in your future.

Take that chimney fix, for instance. Blocking it stops heat from sneaking out. But if you don’t think about the whole room, you could end up with poor ventilation, leading to damp and mold later on. Even if you hire a pro, they might be an expert in their thing but miss the bigger picture.

That’s why it’s vital to treat homes like one big project. You need someone with the full scoop on your home to fix energy issues the right way. That’s why having our Retrofit Coordinators on board makes a significant difference to your renovation project.

How does this fit into the Cosy Homes Oxfordshire service?

We’ve made whole house retrofit the core of our service, ensuring we’re planet-friendly. Our expert team leads the UK on this. Your journey kicks off with an assessor checking out your whole house. They gather the lowdown on your energy use and your place.

Your dedicated Retrofit Coordinator takes this info and crafts your unique Whole House Plan. It lays out all the measures you could take to make your home as energy efficient as possible as a whole, with recommendations on the most cost-effective and impactful measures to take forward.

It’s then up to you to choose which measures you go ahead with, but your Retrofit Coordinator will always be on hand to make recommendations, highlight any issues with the measures you choose, and make sure things are done in the right order. They also manage the delivery of the work, finding trusted contractors, managing health and safety on-site, and checking the quality of delivery once complete.

This means if you’re up for a full-home retrofit, Cosy Homes Oxfordshire is your go-to. Start with our free Plan Builder tool.

If you’re looking to address a single issue or install an individual energy efficiency measure, then we’d still recommend you work with us on your home assessment and Whole House Plan to ensure you fully understand your property and are aware of any issues that this individual measure may cause.