How a leaky 1990s terraced home's energy bills were cut by 69% | Environment | guardian.co.uk

How a leaky 1990s terraced home's energy bills were cut by 69% | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Tracey Hillyard and her three teenage children live in a small, 1990s terraced house whose leaky walls and roof were leaching heat out of the home. Concerned about escalating energy bill, Tracey approached her housing association, East Thames, about the problem.

As luck would have it, East Thames had been invited to participate in a nationwide government programme, Retrofit for the Future, trialling innovative energy saving technologies. So Tracey's home was put forward as a case study.

Architects Penoyre & Prasad spent a lot of time with Tracey and her family finding out about their concerns and lifestyle in order to identify the right solutions. Project architect David Cole says: "Although the main room had good daylight, the hallway, stairs and landing were dark, with an oversized landing that nobody used.