HPH067 : How a Home Energy Assessment Can Inform Retrofit Measures – with Graham Hunter from Parity Projects
Graham Hunter from Parity Projects explains how data collected from one of their energy assessments is then turned into a report of options for the homeowner. This follows on from episode 60 which trailed Graham as he conducted an assessment.
Interview with Graham Hunter
Graham Hunter is an energy analyst who helps deliver the Home Energy Masterplan service for Parity Projects.
The Report Contains Options Rather Than Recommendations
Backed up by the data that's been collected, the report from Parity Projects details all the options and the numbers behind them.
When looking at this house's heating source, for example, the choices range from replacing the existing boiler and adding in control mechanisms to installing an air source heat pump or biomass boiler and so on.
So the report tries not to make recommendations but instead provides the homeowner with all the necessary information to make an informed decision.
Measures are Grouped into Packages to Show Their Cumulative Impact
There are often 60-70 possible improvements. Based on the priorities of the homeowner, these will then be ranked in terms of level of importance and duration of payback.
Measures are also put into packages in order to show their cumulative impact.
Graham says: “Adding up the individual savings of all the measures is quite a different thing to applying those measures on top of each other.”
In Most Situations Homeowners Make Choices Based on Costs
The cost of the measures and their payback periods are most commonly how homeowners inform their decisions, but the report can be environmentally driven.
In this case, for example, replacing the oil boiler with a new one would be the best option financially. However, as Ben's Dad expressed an environmental motivation, Parity Projects have detailed other heating sources that would reduce CO2 emissions.
Space heating contributes the most CO2 emissions in this property
Most Houses Have Some Potential ‘Quick Wins'
Graham outlines the first package of non invasive ‘No Brainers' that payback in a very short space of time.
For this assessment that included blocking the chimney with a chimney sheep, installing low flow shower heads and replacing halogen spotlights with LED lights.
Significant Retrofits Take a Long Time to Payback
As Ben's Dad does not envisage himself being in the house for longer than 10 to 15 years, a whole house retrofit would not be a viable option in terms of payback.
Energy prices, of course, could increase drastically thus reducing that payback period but there is no way of knowing this.
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Transcript
Download a transcript of the interview with Graham Hunter.
