‘EcoCosi makes retrofitting my home a lot easier’ 

When Mike started working from home more regularly, he soon realised that his house wasn’t as warm and comfortable as he wanted it to be. 

This, he says, became the “catalyst” for him starting to think about improving his home’s insulation and making it warmer.  

After briefly thinking about and then dismissing the idea of moving, Mike decided that he wanted to explore retrofit instead. Following extensive research to find a trusted and reputable service that could explain the options available to him, Mike landed on EcoCosi from Changeworks. 

Home survey

After gathering information about this home and retrofit needs, the EcoCosi team visited Mike to carry out a Home Survey. During a two-hour visit, the team carried out an in-depth survey of the building fabric and heating system. This then helped the team gain a detailed understanding of Mike’s home, including its current level of energy efficiency, to produce a detailed Whole Home Report.

Mike says: “The report just gave me confidence that someone had looked at my house thoroughly. There were recommendations in there, there were costings in there, so I really knew what I was I was signing up for.

“The analysis was really, really detailed in terms of the predictions of where I was going to get maximum benefit. So that gave me real confidence that I was going to be spending money in the right places.”

The report recommended that Mike install underfloor insulation, loft insulation and room in roof insulation, as well AirEx bricks into his property. This will allow him to live in a warmer, more comfortable home that is more affordable to heat. The report also recommended installing additional ventilation, solar panels and a heat pump in a future second stage of retrofit.

As part of the EcoCosi service, Mike now also has access to a trusted installer network. All EcoCosi’s contractors are pre-vetted and hold the relevant quality assurance status and experience to carry out your retrofit.

“The EcoCosi service does make that a lot easier and gives you a bit of confidence that you can do it yourself.” 

Doing the right thing

Highlighting the initial visit from the EcoCosi team and subsequent conversations and meetings, Mike added: “One thing that the team wanted to make sure was that we were doing the right thing in terms of ventilation and moisture, so that the insulation wasn’t going to do anything to damage my property.

“The team clearly wanted to make sure that whatever work is carried out, there’s no downside to it. They’re aware of some of the problems people have had elsewhere and they’re working really hard to make sure that doesn’t happen here.”

The energy crisis of recent years has highlighted to many how we all need to start looking forward and thinking about ways we can heat our homes with energy sources that don’t rely on fossil fuels and a volatile energy market.

Mike is one of them. He says: “People have to get on board with retrofitting and have to recognise that we all need to do our bit to future proof our homes – we can’t just leave it to others to do it. The EcoCosi service does make that a lot easier and gives you a bit of confidence that you can do it yourself.”