Mr Castle and Mrs Castle – Case study
Background
Mr Castle (86) & Mrs Castle (90) live in their two-bed bungalow which they were heating by storage heaters. Between 15th October 2022 until 15th March 2023, Mr and Mrs Castle used 3,755 KWh in 151 days, averaging at 24.86 KWh per day. This was due to the storage heaters, which would heat up overnight in order to heat the bungalow all day (until running out of heat). The storage heaters would then either need to be switched back on or a secondary form of heating used: in this case, the household used an electric fire to heat solely the living room. Because Mr and Mrs Castle were on an ‘Economy 7’ tariff, which offers cheaper rates for off-peak hours and more expensive rates during peak hours, they were using the more expensive electricity to heat their home from early evening until they went to bed, which is the coldest part of the day.
An Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) central heating and hot water system upgrade was offered to them in 2019, 2020 and 2021 but was declined as both Mr & Mrs Castle thought the installation would be too much of an upheaval.
Measures
Having seen the process and the installation go ahead in their neighbours’ homes, Mr and Mrs Castle chose to accept the offer of upgrading their heating and hot water system in 2023 and the work took place week commencing 6th March 2023. The household had an ASHP installed on 15th March 2023, alongside topping up of their loft insulation to 300m. The household were also supported throughout by a Customer Liaison Officer from Broadacres, who was on hand to answer any questions they had about the process. The Officer also kept them updated with the timings and implications of any works taking place and covered aftercare, ensuring that Mr and Mrs Castle understood how to use their ASHP and were on the optimum electricity tariff for their needs.
Impact
Since having the ASHP system, in the 49 days from 15th March to 4th May, Mr and Mrs Castle have used 708 KWh of electricity, at an average of 14.5 KWh a day. Whilst the figures over the same length of time are not currently available, and thus direct comparisons cannot currently be made, there are indications that the current system is much more efficient. Mr and Mrs Castle are delighted with the ASHP central heating system: they are using less energy to keep their home continuously warm, which they say, at their age, is what they need.