Reduce your energy bills: project helps those in Petersfield, Hampshire, West Sussex and Surrey cut fuel costs
As well as bringing the costs down, Richard was also keen to reduce the amount of heat being lost from his home and to reduce its carbon footprint.
That’s where he discovered the Petersfield Area SuperHomes (PASH) project.
What is Petersfield Area SuperHomes?
Run by Petersfield Climate Action Network (PeCAN), the project involves having a professional retrofit coordinator carry out a Whole House Retrofit Plan on your home to help you see what changes you could make.
The project covers Hampshire and parts of West Sussex and Surrey too.
Richard said: “I wanted to put some solar panels up and I wanted a heat pump but I didn’t know what to do first.
“With the energy bills going up I thought it was costing quite a lot of money and hoped this would make a big difference.”
Richard had the survey carried out and was advised to get his home fully insulated first.
He then went on to get 11 solar panels fitted as well as a battery and the final step was the installation of an air source heat pump.
He said having a report with step by step advice about how and in which order to get the work carried out was very worthwhile.
“It was extremely useful,” he added.
“Without that I had no idea what steps to take, how to approach it and what was the best order to do it in. That was invaluable, I wouldn’t have done it without that.
“I had everything I wanted to move forward.”
Now, Richard is hoping to encourage other people to follow in his footsteps.
Recommended
“I’m very pleased I did it all and I have spoken to quite a lot of other people about it who are now thinking about doing the same thing,” he said.
“I would certainly recommend it. You can do it bits at a time.
“It all happened a lot quicker than I thought it might do. I think you need a project like SuperHomes because it’s a bit of a minefield otherwise.
“I’m very pleased with what we’ve done.”
Free event to find out more
As part of The Great Big Green Week, PASH is hosting a free event in Horndean to help people understand more about reducing their energy bills as well as their carbon footprint.
The event, called Reducing Your Home Energy Bills, is taking place on Monday, June 12th at Merchistoun Hall.
It will be an informal, interactive and engaging evening including a presentation by a retrofit coordinator, followed by a Q&A session.
A professional retrofit coordinator carries out an independent, impartial assessment looking at:
– Loft insulation
– Cavity wall insulation
– Double glazing
– Ventilation
– Solar panels to generate renewable energy on the roof
– Changing a gas or oil heating system for a low carbon heat system such as a heat pump
Patricia Exley, project officer for PASH, said: “Here in the UK we have some of the most poorly insulated and least energy efficient homes in Europe.
“Having an assessment on your home will enable you to make a decision about the best ways to not only reduce your monthly bills but your carbon footprint too.”
There is a cost associated with the project however there are price reductions available depending on the size of your home and your financial circumstances.
Contact details
If you would like to find out more or to book a place at the Reducing Your Home Energy Bills event visit petersfieldcan.org or book tickets here.or email [email protected].