Why should every refurb be an ecofurb?

Investing in energy efficiency home improvements can add value to your home and lower your bills, as well as providing a warm and comfortable place to live and protecting you from future energy price rises.

And doing the work alongside your renovation project enables you to make the most of your home’s energy efficiency potential, whether you’re replacing floors or heating systems, re-plastering walls or replacing windows and roofs.

But everyone knows that a house refurbishment involves a lot of decisions, and for most people, it involves a lot of research and a certain amount of agonising over which route to take.

Fearful of making mistakes, homeowners often rely on the advice of their builder or interior decorator, and these experts don’t always have the knowledge needed to give the right advice for an energy efficiency-focused home upgrade.

Ecofurb’s founders created the Ecofurb Plan because they faced these exact challenges when they renovated their own homes. Russell, Chris and David all took on homes that needed renovation and wanted to make them as well insulated and decarbonised as they could.

As Russell says, “There was no one to give me the right advice when I started my project twenty years ago, so I had to work out myself which improvements would have the greatest impact on carbon emissions, which would bring the most value, and how they would work together.”

Russell found that the advice he wanted didn’t exist – it was either too generic or too biased.

“Ecofurb is the service I needed back then,” he says, “providing impartial advice that considers the needs of each home and its owners, and helps them create a holistic plan to make their renovation or extension as energy efficient as possible.”

Still got concerns about starting your own energy efficiency retrofit?

While home energy efficiency has become a priority for most homeowners since the energy crisis, many don’t act because they fear getting it wrong or have concerns around finding a knowledgeable and trustworthy installer.

Ecofurb addresses these dilemmas, as Ecofurb Founder Russell Smith explains, “Every home is unique, so the most appropriate measures may not be what you expect. Given the importance of the work involved and long-term impact on the home, getting a professionally produced plan is essential.”

Get the right advice for your home

Ecofurb combines a tailored and independent advice service with a trustworthy installer network. Each step is guided and overseen by a PAS2035-qualified Retrofit Coordinator to give homeowners confidence.

This will ensure not only that the right measures are invested in, but also that work can qualify for grants, where applicable, and new loans that reward investment in energy efficiency.

“Ecofurb I think offers a derisking process…derisking your investment,” says Vaughan, who owns a 1990s detached house and installed new windows, insulation and an air source heatpump, with an Ecofurb Plan and installers recommended by Ecofurb.
Like any substantial investment in a house, every project should start with getting the right advice.

“You wouldn’t build an extension without an architect’s input,” says Russell, “so don’t start your home retrofit without a Retrofit Coordinator’s advice.”