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Peter and Maggie make their home as energy efficient as possible

Peter and Maggie investigated getting a retrofit as they wanted to contribute to protecting the environment by reducing their carbon emissions. We’ll be following their progress over the next few months as they make their home as energy efficient as possible.

About the home

Peter and Maggie live in a detached house just south of Oxford in the village of Sandford on Thames. The house was constructed in the 1970s with a mixture of old and modern parts as the home has been upgraded over the years. The couple have lived in the property ever since it was first built in 1972.

Motivations for the retrofit

Protecting the environment

Peter and Maggie first investigated getting a retrofit as they wanted to make a contribution to protecting the environment by reducing their carbon emissions.

Helping future generations

Their retrofit is to help future generations, including their own family, who will be able to live comfortably in a home that is equipped to be as energy efficient as possible.

“The Cosy Homes team is obviously dedicated, and we’re particularly pleased with the project coordination side of things, we would never have been able to cope with that”

Peter and Maggie, Oxfordshire

Project coordination

Although they were keen to get started, the couple was unsure where to begin, and the thought of managing a complex retrofit project themselves seemed infeasible.


With encouragement from their son, they sought out the Cosy Homes Oxfordshire team to enquire about having a Whole House Plan, as well as project coordination for the installation of a number of energy-saving measures with the support of a Retrofit Coordinator.

What measures were installed?

The home is still in the process of installing a number of measures that were recommended in their Whole House Plan to make the property as energy efficient as possible.

The house was formerly heated by an oil-fired boiler so switching to an Air Source Heat Pump was a big step.

Their new heat pump required the installation of a buffer vessel that acts as a storage tank for hot water helping the heat pump to run at an even pace and creating a constant supply of hot water.

Solar PV (photovoltaic) panels have been installed onto the roof of the property on sunny facing aspects to create a supply of clean energy for their home.

Their solar array was installed in just over a day and any excess generated electricity will heat the immersion heater for hot water.

As Peter and Maggie wished to install an Air Source Heat Pump, it was also essential to assess the whole home for airtightness and insulation level to ensure the pump can work as effectively as possible.

This will include the installation of cavity wall insulation, flat roof insulation, and ceiling insulation on the underside of the pitched roof.

The couple will also be upgrading their windows to a higher standard of glazing.

Maggie and Peter were excited to find out how the new measures work and we’ll be following up with them in the new year to hear how their home has been improved, as well as how the changes are reflected in their energy bills.

Measures include:

  • Air Source Heat Pump
  • Replacement of one window
  • Solar PV array
  • Cavity Wall Insulation (CWI)
  • Loft Insulation
  • Flat Roof Insulation


Get your free draft retrofit plan

Curious about what home retrofit could do for your home’s energy bills and carbon emissions? Get started by using our Plan Builder to create a draft home retrofit plan, and then submit your plan to our team to start the Cosy Homes process.

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