Geoff lives in Seaham, in a 3 bedroomed semi-detached house that was built in 1990. The home benefits from the windows and external doors being double glazed, but, in line with modern standards and new Building Regulations, the walls and attic are poorly insulated. Geoff lives on his own, but he has regular visitors.

Geoff wanted to become energy independent. He already had solar panels installed at his home, but that, on their own, they were not providing him with the level of energy independence that he would like.

Geoff’s existing solar panel installation consisted of 16 x 150W solar panels. Had Geoff replaced his older panels with newer, more efficient ones, then he would have been able to achieve a much higher level of independence.

Prior to us commencing work at Geoff’s property, he was using approximately 12kW a day on average. The home was heated by a gas central heating system that was supported by a 150-litre immersion heater, and both gas and electricity were used to within the property. Geoff’s combined annual energy bill was £1,301, but as he received an annual feed-in tariff cheque of £800, the net result of his energy expenditure was £501 a year.