Improve the energy efficiency of your home
Future Ready Homes gives householders access to all the help and advice they need to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. We’re also looking to engage with contractors and professionals working in retrofit. At present Future Ready Homes covers Shropshire, Herefordshire and Telford & Wrekin.
Future Ready Homes belongs to Marches Energy Agency, a charity with long experience of working in fuel poverty, energy efficiency and sustainability. As such we are uniquely able to offer independent, impartial, values-driven advice on how to retrofit your home.
For householders
Start your retrofit journey
We can all have healthier, warmer homes, with lower energy bills, and lower carbon emissions by making our homes more energy efficient and introducing renewables.
This is what we call ‘retrofit’.
Fabric retrofit means improving the house’s ability to hold onto heat. Improving doors and windows, making necessary repairs, preventing draughts, and increasing insulation – in the walls and floor as well as the roof – are all part of fabric retrofit. Steps like this will make your home more energy efficient, and therefore lower your energy bills.
Your priority may be to lower your carbon emissions – in which case renewables are for you. The quickest way to burn less fossil fuels in the home is to stop burning gas or oil for your heating, by switching to a heat pump or electric storage heaters instead. Installing solar panels means you can use clean green electricity you have generated at home, rather than using grid electricity, saving both cost and carbon.
The benefits of retrofit are many, and your retrofit project can be split up into various stages rather than done all at once. And help’s available every step of the way.
Retrofit plans
Fully funded whole house retrofit plans are not currently available through Future Ready Homes. If you live in Herefordshire you can apply to the Home Energy Savers scheme via Keep Herefordshire Warm.
Webinars
We have a series of highly informative free webinars on topics such as retrofitting for a healthy home, heat pumps, use of natural materials for retrofit, and the cost:benefit of solar panels. You can sign up for these free webinars on Eventbrite, and catch up on previous ones on YouTube.
Getting retrofit done well: selecting and working with contractors
25th November 1.00pm
Book here >
Expert Advice
Houses are complex things, so retrofit tends to raise a lot of questions.
Have a look at the FAQs and resources below.
If your question isn’t answered in the FAQs, email us with full details of your property and your question. If we don’t know the answer then we’ll know an expert who does, at no cost to you.
Green Open Homes
Green Open Homes events are a great way to see completed retrofit projects and meet the householders to learn from their experience.
Green Open Homes 2024 has now finished but you can see the case studies below.
Events
There are plenty of opportunities to meet us this Autumn.
23rd November Deep Retrofit in Little Stretton, Little Stretton Village Hall, 2pm
28th November Retrofitting Ewyas Harold
Directory
The Future Ready Homes Directory has been compiled to answer one question: where do I find local trusted installers and professionals for my retrofit project?
Find recommended installers, tradespeople and professionals who can help you with your retrofit project.
Keep in touch for all the latest Marches retrofit news, events, information and support.
Green Open Homes
This year’s Green Open Homes be will bigger and better than ever!
October 19th/20th and 26th/27th
>How much money do you really save if you have solar panels – and a battery?
>What’s it like to actually live with an air source heat pump?
>How do you insulate your walls to make your home really cosy – and reduce your energy bills?
Green Open Homes is your chance to ask questions just like these, of householders just like you. Visit beautiful and fascinating homes where the owners have taken the plunge and upgraded the energy efficiency of their homes, reducing their carbon footprint as well as their bills.
Start planning your visits now!
Use the postcode search to find properties near you here.
If you’d like to get involved by opening your home — sign up here.
For professionals
Deliver high quality retrofit
Householder demand for retrofit in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, and Herefordshire is rising fast – and contractors are in short supply.
Whole house retrofit is a high value service that isn’t dependent on Government funding – there’s a large ‘Able to Pay’ market. And as we work towards Net Zero Carbon, demand is only going to increase.
Whether you’re already working in retrofit or can see the huge opportunity it provides your business, Future Ready Homes can support you to deliver high quality retrofit with funded training, a pipeline of work ready to start now and ongoing support and advice from our expert panel of structural engineers, architects, green building experts, and heritage professionals.
FAQs
All your questions answered
Why should I retrofit my home?
Retrofit has lots of advantages – increasing comfort in your home (no annoying draughts), reducing your energy bills and your carbon emissions, and even improving your health where there have been damp and mould problems. Data from the housing market is starting to indicate that increasing the energy efficiency of your home increases its value, and this trend can be expected to accelerate as we move towards Net Zero.
I’d like to retrofit my home – but where do I start?
An impartial ‘whole house’ retrofit plan, tailored to your home and to your individual needs, is the best place to start. The plan should identify the key areas which need to be addressed, what order to tackle them in, and what will provide best value for money. An individual installer of, for example, solar panels, may only be interested in your roof and won’t look at your floor, walls and windows. A whole house plan needn’t be tackled all at once, it can be broken down into manageable stages.
If you live in Herefordshire, you can apply to the Home Energy Savers scheme through Keep Herefordshire Warm.
What is ‘fabric first’ retrofit?
Retrofit is adding something to or changing something in your home to improve its energy efficiency. Perhaps the best place to start with retrofit is improving your home’s ability to retain heat – so that your energy demand is reduced. The cheapest cleanest energy is the energy you don’t use. Hence you may prefer to deal with the fabric of your home (the roof, walls, windows, doors and floor) first, before doing things like changing the heating system.
Alternatively you may wish to prioritise reducing your carbon footprint as soon as possible. In which case, it may make sense to install a heat pump to replace your gas or oil boiler even before fabric improvements.
Solar panels can be installed at any time – so long as your roof is in good condition.
Will I need Planning Permission, or Building Regulations sign off?
For Planning Permission, you may find the answer here:
https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/home-improvement
If your proposed works are covered by Building Regulations, you will need sign off. For measures such a solar panels or new windows, your installer would normally take care of this for you. Otherwise, your builder and/or architect should be able to advise you, or you can contact the Building Control department at your local council, or an approved inspector.
Where do I find an installer/ contractor?
The Future Ready Homes Directory is a good place to start to find local trusted contractors. You will find retrofit installers, tradespeople and professionals who can help you improve the energy efficiency of your home and decarbonise your heat and power. It is advisable to speak to at least 3 different firms, ask to see examples of their previous work, and speak to previous customers. Visit the Directory: https://futurereadyhomes-directory.org.uk/
Are solar panels worth it? Is it worth getting a battery?
Solar panels generate clean green electricity at home where you use it, which is a great thing. Every roof is different so it is hard to generalise about if they are ‘worth’ the investment. A solar installer will calculate how much electricity the panels are likely to generate in a year – and how much money this would typically save you from your bill. It may be that your electricity consumption isn’t very high. If you are home during the day or can use the electricity as it is being generated, it may be that you don’t need a battery. Solar electricity can be diverted to charge an electric car battery, or heat water in your cylinder. For more information have a look at our excellent webinar here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDfEGcDX64o
I’ve heard mixed things about heat pumps, are they any good?
Yes they are! Heat pumps work most efficiently when running at relatively low temperature (40-50 degrees flow temperature) and should be allowed to run constantly rather than being switched off and on. The quickest way to decarbonise your home is to replace your gas or oil boiler with a heat pump powered by green electricity. For more information have a look at our webinars on heat pumps here or a useful overview on how heat pumps work and who they’re suitable for here.
What materials are suitable for my home, and where can I source them?
If your home was built before 1920 it’s likely to be solid wall construction, meaning it has no cavity. These walls need to ‘breathe’ and so it is advisable to use ‘vapour-open’ materials such as woodfibre insulation and lime plaster, and avoid materials like PIR board and standard gypsum plaster. Ty Mawr in Brecon are specialist suppliers of traditional building materials. If your home is modern cavity construction then it’s likely you can use whatever materials you like (vapour open or closed). Your architect or builder should be able to advise you, but do your own research. To learn more take a look at our webinar on retrofit materials here.
Why is it so important to make sure my home has proper ventilation?
If you improve the insulation and air tightness of your home you must also improve the ventilation to prevent moisture build-up causing problems such as black mould. Draughts ventilate your home but are uncontrolled; controlled mechanical ventilation such as extractor fans in bathrooms and kitchens, or whole house MVHR (mechanical ventilation with heat recovery) systems, are ideal. To learn more take a look at our webinar on airtightness and ventilation here.
Where can I see real world examples of retrofit?
Green Open Homes events are the ideal opportunity to do just this – and talk to householders who have completed retrofitting their homes. These events are typically held in September/ October but you can read case studies here
How much does retrofit cost?
You can top up your loft insulation for a few hundred pounds or draughtproof your windows and doors for much less. But whole house retrofit is a costly investment, so it needs to be planned properly as part of the ongoing maintenance of your home. And it doesn’t have to be done all at once, it can be done in stages.
How do I finance my retrofit? Are there any grants available?
All householders in England and Wales can apply (through their installer) for a £7,500 grant towards the cost of a new heat pump through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. To be eligible you must own the property, you must be replacing an existing fossil fuel heating system and your home must have a valid EPC.
Seed funding for fabric improvements are available to Herefordshire homeowners through Herefordshire Council’s Home Energy Savers scheme.
Insulation measures may be part funded by the Government’s new Great British Insulation Scheme.
For those on certain benefits or of limited means, help may be available through Government funded projects such as Sustainable Warmth – you can find out more and apply here
For Herefordshire visit Keep Herefordshire Warm
Banks and building societies are offering more and more ‘green mortgage’ products to encourage householders to retrofit their homes, a useful listing can be found here
Resources
Q&A
Guides
Articles
Webinars
Get in touch
Keep in touch
Keep in touch for all the latest Marches retrofit events, information and support.