Dr Sue Roberts and Professor Richard Harding

Personal story:

Both Richard and myself have long held interests in sustainability issues. Richard is a climate scientist and I run EcoMorph, a green deal advocacy organisation. When we decided to move to Wallingford we had a eco-efficient renovation in mind. The house originally met our space requirements it was draughty, cold and out of date. We used the renovation work as an opportunity to transform the inside and outside of our home, converting the loft into a large living space, as well as completely re-painting the outside of the house. This combined with the eco-efficient measures taken has helped us create a low carbon, comfy home.

Motivations:

Our first major aim in the renovation was to reduce our carbon footprint, as well as increasing the comfort and aesthetic of the house. We wanted to show people that even a 1960s property such as ours can be transformed into a eco-efficient home that is as comfortable as it is low carbon. Not only this but we wanted to improve the aesthetic of the house both inside and out.

Property Background

We bought the house back in 2010 after deciding to move to Wallingford. Due to the large garden as well as spacious interior it provided the space we wanted, but was also in need of some serious work. Like many 1960s houses it required updating to better insulate as well as reduce its carbon output.

Key changes made

Every time we show people around the house we are surprised by how stunned they are. The new layout has helped to open up the house, transforming the kitchen and loft space. The outside of the house has been transformed, often we are asked if it’s a new build! Having lived with the installations for so long to us they are an evolution, it is fantastic to have people comment that it is like a new home. People have this impression that going green means sacrificing comfort and beautiful architecture, I hope our home shows this not to be true.

• Condensing boiler
• Draught-proofing
• External wall insulation
• Floor insulation
• Loft insulation
• Roof insulation
• Low energy appliances
• Low energy lighting
• Mechanical Ventilation
• Solar PV panels
• Triple Glazing
• Water saving devices
• Rainwater Harvesting

Benefits

Our winters are now warm and are summer cool thanks to proper insulation and ventilation. The insulation has also provided the added benefit of noise reduction, nullifying the sound of the nearby main road.