Leanne Shipley  

Background  

Leanne lives in an old miner’s bungalow in rural Northumberland, which is off the mains gas grid and ran using oil central heating. Leanne’s house previously had significant issues with damp and condensation, and during winter some rooms were simply too cold to use.  

Leanne’s son has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and sensory processing issues which make him particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in temperature. Her husband experiences mental health difficulties and his long-term struggles with anxiety were exacerbated by the cold, damp house. Leanne used to worry about her children getting home from school before she returned from work to a cold, damp house and an unlit fire.  

Measures  

Across two years, and with the support of grant funding, Leanne’s family had loft insulation, flat roof internal insulation and internal wall insulation. They also had an air source heat pump (ASHP), new radiators and heating controls installed, alongside thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs), which are designed to keep a constant temperature within a room.  

Leanne’s family access grants for both the insulation measures and new heating system. The ASHP was funded through the Green Homes Grant. They would not have been able to afford to replace the old broken heating system with another oil system without support, so without this funding Leanne’s family would have had no central heating at all.  

Impact  

The ASHP works at its most efficient when it is in constant use, so the house never gets very cold and the variation in temperature is slight (only 3 – 4° C). They can now easily reduce the temperature in bedrooms using the TRVs and have set up a seven-day programable controller that corresponds with their living pattern.  

The improvements to the house mean that Leanne’s family have found it much easier to manage their son’s sensory process issues and Leanne’s husband’s anxiety has alleviated. In addition, Leanne says that she finds it much easier to get out of bed in the morning due to having a warm house and enough hot water, which means they do not have to plan bath times. She is no longer worried that the children are returning to a cold, damp house after school as the house is now warm and welcoming.  

The family are now able to use all rooms in the home. Due to the insulation and warmer temperatures within the house, there are no longer cold spots and thus the problems with damp and condensation have also greatly improved. Leanne would recommend her new low-carbon heating system and energy efficiency measures to other off-grid homes.