1920s semi-detached
Could your home be made warmer, cheaper to run, and better for the planet? See what’s possible when you take a whole-home approach to planning energy upgrades.
What’s the potential of a home like this?
This 1920s semi-detached house in Rose Hill, Oxford, is typical of interwar homes with solid brick walls, suspended timber floors, and a bay window.
The owners wanted to make the house as insulated and environmentally friendly as possible. With a Whole House Plan they could understand what more could be done, how much it would cost, and the impact of each measure.
Here’s what the plan revealed:
| Carbon emissions could be cut by over 90% |
| The EPC rating could rise from 62 D to 100 A |
| Annual fuel bills could drop from £1,551 to almost nothing |
You don’t have to carry out every measure at once. The Whole House Plan gives you a roadmap so you can make improvements in your own time, at your own pace, and within your budget.
“We have already done a lot of work on the house, but we wanted to get a Whole House Plan to see what more we can do to further reduce our CO? emissions. We didn’t know what might be possible and the Plan would give us a full picture of the options and what impact they would have.”
Carey and Jamie, Walton Manor, Oxford
Where this home stands now
House profile
| EPC rating | Current 62 D > Potential 100 A |
| Type | Semi-detached |
| Built | 1920s |
| Location | Rose Hill, Oxford |
| Occupancy | Owner-occupied |
| Bedrooms | 3 |
| Floor area | 84m² |
| Walls | Solid brick |
| Floors | Suspended timber and solid |
| Roof | Pitched with loft |
| Windows | uPVC double glazed, bay window |
| Annual energy use | 16,600 kWh (197 kWh/m²) |
| Carbon emissions | 2.8 tonnes CO2/year |
The EPC rating: now vs potential
An EPC rates your home’s energy efficiency – from A (best) to G (worst). A higher score can mean lower bills, but it doesn’t guarantee comfort. Whole-home upgrades help bridge that gap.
Long-term comfort, short-term disruption
| Key to tables: | Low impact: • | High impact: •••••• |
| Minor measures | Comfort & health | Disruption |
|---|---|---|
| Low energy lighting | ● | ● |
| Draught-excluder for open chimney flue | ●●●●● | ● |
| Insulate and draught-proof loft hatch | ●●●● | ● |
| Increase loft insulation to 300mm | ●●●● | ●● |
| Insulate bay window roof | ●●●●● | ●● |
| New insulated front door | ●●●●● | ●● |
| Ventilation improvements | ●●●●●● | ●● |
| Major measures | Comfort & health | Disruption |
|---|---|---|
| External wall insulation | ●●●●● | ●●● |
| Insulate suspended timber floor | ●●●●● | ●●●●●● |
| Air source heat pump | ●●●●●● | ●●●● |
| Measure | Comfort & health | Disruption |
|---|---|---|
| Solar PV | ● | ●● |
Expert tip
“This house has a large loft with its original roof and no roofing membrane. If you plan to extend into the loft in the future, it’s best to combine this with re-roofing and roof insulation works. For houses with loft rooms, we always recommend wood fibre roof insulation because it helps prevent overheating.”
Geordie Stewart, Scheme Manager
The difference each step could make
These figures show how each recommended measure could affect the home’s EPC rating, energy bills, and carbon emissions – if installed in the order shown. They’re based on a full Whole House Plan tailored to this property.
| Measure | Est. cost | EPC | Fuel bill | CO₂/year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where you are now | – | 62 D | £1,551 | 2.84 t |
| Draught-excluder to open chimneys | £100–£200 | 64 D | £1,472 | 2.68 t |
| Increase loft insulation | £1.5k–£2k | 64 D | £1,460 | 2.65 t |
| External wall insulation | £17.5k–£20k | 73 C | £1,066 | 1.85 t |
| Ventilation improvements | £1.5k–£2.5k | 73 C | £1,066 | 1.85 t |
| Insulate pitched roof above bay | £2k–£3k | 73 C | £1,050 | 1.82 t |
| Insulate suspended timber floor | £5k–£7.5k | 75 C | £952 | 1.62 t |
| New insulated front door | £2k–£3k | 76 C | £937 | 1.59 t |
| Air source heat pump | £13.5k–£17.5k | 85 B | £679 | 0.32 t |
| Solar PV (3.9 kWp) | £5.5k–£7.5k | 100 A | £27 | 0.00 t |
Boost your EPC rating
Installing a single major system like a heat pump or solar panels can still make a big difference. These examples show how individual upgrades could shift the home’s EPC and reduce carbon emissions – even before doing everything else.
| Upgrade option | EPC rating | Fuel bill | CO₂ emissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just solar PV | 91 B | £435 | 1.42 t |
| Just heat pump | 79 C | £958 | 0.45 t |
| Solar + heat pump | 96 A | £294 | 0.02 t |
Expert tip
“The bay window area in the living room is colder than the rest of the room, partly because the small pitched roof above it has no insulation. By integrating insulation into the roof structure, you can reduce heat loss and make the living room warmer.”
Natasha Ginks, Retrofit Coordinator
These stories are here to inspire
Every home is unique, and the best way to use them is as a guide to picture what’s possible for yours.
Find more tips on making the most of the case studies here.
Need help or advice with costs? Check out our page on help with the cost of home retrofit for grants, advice, and other resources.
Wondering what’s right for your home?
A Whole House Plan gives you expert, independent advice on the best steps to take – and in what order – so every upgrade really works.
Don’t put it off another year. Take the first step with a free consultation. Our team of experienced Retrofit Advisers will listen to your goals, help you understand what’s possible, and outline the best next steps – no pressure, no obligation.
Smarter home upgrades. Backed by trusted retrofit expertise.
A partnership project
A House Like Mine is an Oxford City Council initiative, delivered as part of the Zero Carbon Oxford Partnership (ZCOP) in collaboration with Cosy Homes Oxfordshire. The idea was first developed through case studies in Charlbury, and has since been expanded to show what’s possible for homes across Oxford and Oxfordshire.
It’s designed to help you take the first step towards making your home cosy, energy-efficient, and ready for the future. Step by step.
A House Like Mine was funded by the MCS Foundation, Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council, and Lucy Group. The case studies are licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence (creativecommons.org).
Prefer a PDF version?
Download a shareable PDF of this case study – perfect for your community group, local class, or anyone curious about improving home energy efficiency.
We’re making this resource freely available to raise awareness of how retrofitting – upgrading your home to use less energy and stay comfortable year-round – can make a real difference.
Click here to download the PDF