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SHDF Success Stories | Leeds City Council

Introduction

[7 December 2022] Susan Neil shares her experience of the retrofit measures installed by Leeds City Council as part of its SHDF Demonstrator-funded project.

Contents

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    Susan Neil, 58, lives in a Wimpey no fines property with her pets. Prior to the retrofit works of her home to improve its energy efficiency, it was very cold and suffered with issues of condensation on the walls.

    Resident liaison officer (RLO) Jane Aston and resident Susan Neil

    Leeds City Council have retrofitted Susan's homes through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator project. This fund, designed to help introduce 'fabric first' energy efficiency measures into social housing, awarded Leeds £4.1 million to tackle some of the hardest to treat homes.

    "I can't understand - I haven't got my heating on, and it is very warm in here, and with no more damp."

    Susan loves her home and calls it her safe haven: "The works have made my save haven so much better", adding that, since all the works have been completed, "it's absolutely amazing". The works have made her home a lot warmer, cleaner, fresher and with "no more damp". "I can't understand it. I haven't got my heating on, and it is very warm in here".

    Susan's home was fitted with high-quality double-glazed windows, roof insulation, and external wall insulation, accompanied by a ventilation system to ensure high air quality and damp free conditions are maintained in the newly insulated home. An air source heat pump, and new heating controls were also added, allowing Susan to benefit from the huge efficiencies that an air source heat pump within a well-insulated property can bring. Facing direct sunlight, solar panels have also been added.