When Christos and Catriona realised the ageing boiler in their Edinburgh home needed replacing, they saw it as an opportunity to think bigger.
Rather than simply installing another boiler, they wanted to explore how they could make their 1990s built, cavity brick end-terrace home more energy efficient and move towards a low-carbon heating system.
The couple had already experienced some of the benefits of renewable technology, having had solar panels at their previous home. With an electric vehicle charger already installed at their current property, they were keen to find out what else might be possible.
That was when EcoCosi arrived on their doorstep, quite literally.
A sign through the letterbox
Christos first discovered EcoCosi when a leaflet came through their door. He took it as “a sign” and decided to find out more. After going online and completing an assessment, Christos and Catriona began their journey with EcoCosi.
The first step was for the EcoCosi team to undertake a Whole Home Assessment, to allow the couple to understand what was possible when it came to making their home more energy efficient.
Catriona said: “I remember feeling so overwhelmed by all the possibilities and all the different things we had to consider. Like if you get a heat pump do you need insulation? If you get insulation, do you need ventilation?
“I didn’t even know where to start. So, being able to go through the house and think about how this applies to where we live specifically, then having it turned from possibilities into solutions was great.”
Christos added: “We kind of knew what we wanted. We knew the technologies that we were looking into, but we didn’t know if we could get an air source heat pump, or would we have to go for a ground source heat pump? Could we do a heat pump at all in the house that we have?
“Just being able to go through the options and say: ‘Yeah ok, this is a possibility’ and see what the cost is was super helpful.”
For Christos and Catriona, the report led to several significant upgrades to their home:
- Solar panels
- Battery storage
- Air source heat pump
- Room-in-roof insulation
- Cavity wall insulation top-up
- Internal wall insulation
- Loft insulation
Taking the leap with a heat pump
The heat pump was perhaps the biggest change. Catriona had initially been sceptical about the technology after hearing negative stories surrounding heat pumps. But after having one installed in her own home, her experience has been very different.
She said: “You hear all kinds of things about heat pumps. There are various bits of misinformation flying around. So, when we had the heat pump installed during spring when it was still quite chilly, I was relieved that it was really cosy in the house.”
The heat pump now provides their heating, alongside solar panels generating electricity and a battery allowing energy to be stored for use by the household.
A warmer, more energy efficient home
Most importantly, Christos and Catriona are enjoying the impact the retrofit has had on the everyday lives of their family. Their home is warm and comfortable, and the changes have helped them reduce their energy bills.
Christos said: “The easiest difference to notice is the electricity bill. As soon as we cutoff our gas supply – that on its own just made a huge difference.”
Catriana added: “It’s made a massive difference to us financially.”
Having started out simply needing to replace an old boiler, Christos and Catriona have ended up making a much wider change to the way their home uses and generates energy. Thankfully, they say, EcoCosi was on hand to help them along every step of the way.
Christos said: “It felt at times like a full-time job that we were glad we were not doing, and that we were glad we had help with. From the beginning it felt like we were in safe hands, especially with Marc being our guide throughout.”
Catriana added: “I’d definitely recommend EcoCosi, 100%. I can’t imagine how chaotic it would have been trying to wrangle it all by ourselves.
“Just having that expertise on call is incredible. You’re spending a lot of money, so you want to know you’re spending it wisely. That’s the biggest reassurance.”
For them both, the leaflet through the door really did turn out to be a sign.