Meet Karen and Stu
After moving from an older solid-wall property, in 2023 Karen and Stu deliberately chose a 1950s cavity wall home because they believed it would be easier and more affordable to improve.
The house had received very few energy-efficiency improvements and was uncomfortably cold. Karen remembers:
“We wore coats indoors, and only heated the lounge. We used hot water bottles to keep the bed warm.”
Poor ventilation and low temperatures led to damp and black mould growth beneath the mattress. Heating the whole property with the existing electric storage heaters would have been extremely expensive.
KEY FACTS
Date built: 1950s
Building type: Semi-detached ex-social housing property
Wall type: Cavity wall
Budget: £32,000
Overall approach: Project managed by the client with support from builders and a HETAS specialist
Services accessed from Futureproof Cumbria: Your Home Retrofit Plan, Standard Specifications
Results: Winter temp: 17°C | Energy use: -89% | Relative Humidity levels: -20%
Making the house more environmentally friendly
Following research and planning, Karen and Stu completed a major programme of work over nine months between spring 2024 and January 2025. They hoped to:
- Improve energy efficiency.
- Create a more comfortable home.
- Eliminate damp and mould.
- Install low-carbon heating.
- Make environmentally responsible improvements.
Government funding helped support:
Cavity wall insulation
Air source heat pump
Continuous extract fans in bathroom and kitchen
Other ventilation work
While the other measures were self-funded:
Ground floor insulation
Additional loft insulation
Draughtproofing
The results
Minimum winter temperature
reduction in energy use
reduction in Relative Humidity levels
The home also achieved an airtightness test result of 4.5 m³/hr.m² at 50 Pa (this is better than the standard that every new build home is required to meet!)
Challenges along the way
Before they started planning, Karen and Stu had concerns about which measures would deliver the greatest benefit, whether cavity wall insulation was the right option, and how to sequence the work. Once the project began, they had nine months of disruption, with different parts of the house out of action at various stages.
The retrofit also uncovered unexpected sources of heat loss, including large gaps around floor joists and external walls, which required additional draughtproofing work.
Karen was also uncertain whether an air source heat pump would be able to keep the house comfortable during cold winter weather. She was relieved to find that the system actually performs better than expected!
How Futureproof Cumbria helped
Karen and Stu turned to Futureproof Cumbria for advice early on because they were unsure which improvements to prioritise and wanted independent guidance before investing significant sums of money.
After watching Futureproof Cumbria’s free retrofit webinars on YouTube, they decided to invest in a Your Home Retrofit Plan to give them peace of mind from the start of the project. They also used Standard Specifications provided by Futureproof Cumbria to help them insulate the ground floor themselves.
"We weren’t sure what order to do things, or which improvements would work best ... We decided to get paid advice from Futureproof Cumbria to get us off on the right track ."
Karen and Stu's top tips
- Seek expert advice early on.
- Take time to understand your options.
- Don’t be afraid to learn new skills along the way.
- Focus on improving the fabric of the building before installing low-carbon heating, as reducing heat loss makes it far more effective.
Karen says:
Our range of support helps you make confident, informed choices every step of the way.
Visit our Retrofit Services webpage to find out more, or get in touch below.
…or fill in our online form.
Call 01768 216 500 to speak to us…
