Bristol couple win TV star Kevin McCloud’s £23k green makeover for their home
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Will Homoky on his roof in Totterdown, Bristol, showing off the new solar panels installed
A Bristol couple has beaten 8,000 other homeowners to become the winner of a £23,000 eco-makeover on their home.
Will Homoky and Catherine Beswick’s home in Totterdown has been chosen to become a ‘home for the future’, thanks to the Grand Designs Great British Refurb Campaign, a national campaign fronted by TV star Kevin McCloud.
The campaign aims to promote the role of green refurbishment in reducing the UK’s carbon emissions. The prize includes a combination of the latest energy-efficiency measures, donated by Knauf Insulation, combined with micro-generating capacity such as solar panels provided by the UK’s leading solar energy company, Solarcentury.
Standing on his roof, watching the panels being installed, Mr Homoky said he was “amazed” to see so much happen in so little time.
“It’s been great to have the opportunity to see all this work in progress and learn from the experts how energy conservation can be improved,” he said. “All of a sudden, reducing our bills and our emissions are far greater than we could have achieved on our own.”
The building team from Keepmoat, who worked onsite for more than two weeks, have installed the under-floor and loft insulation, replaced the glass in all of the windows with energy efficiency glass, and installed the external wall insulation.
Combined together, these measures will increase the thermal efficiency of the house as less heat will escape. This means that the heating will be turned on for shorter periods, thus reducing fuel consumption and ultimately the heating bill.
Homes are responsible for 27% of the UK’s carbon emissions. Government, supported by all three main parties, has set a target to reduce carbon emissions by 34% by 2020 and 80% by 2050.
In partnership with the 10:10 Campaign, the Great British Refurb competition aims to show what can be done in our homes to meet the Government’s carbon emissions targets, reduce our use of energy, and save money.
Speaking about the campaign, Grand Designs’s Kevin McCloud added: “It is vital that we cut our carbon emissions and meet these targets —Â and our homes are the obvious place to start.
“We need a nationwide programme of green refurbishment that is sensitive to the fantastic diversity of housing types in Britain, and if people can’t afford the upfront costs of what will ultimately save them money, then we need to find ways to help to do so. This is why the Great British Refurb Campaign is so important.”
A Bristol couple has beaten 8,000 other homeowners to become the lucky winner of a £23,000 eco-makeover on their home thanks to the Grand Designs Great British Refurb Campaign, a national campaign to promote the role of green refurbishment in reducing the UK’s carbon emissions. The campaign is fronted by Grand Design’s Kevin McCloud.
A panel of expert judges chose Will Homoky and Catherine Beswick’s house in Totterdown, Bristol, to be turned in to the Home of the Future. The prize includes a combination of the latest energy-efficiency measures, donated by Knauf Insulation, combined with micro-generating capacity such as solar panels provided by the UK’s leading solar energy company, Solarcentury.
Standing on his roof, watching the panels being installed, Will said: “We’re amazed to see so much happen in so little time. It’s been great to have the opportunity to see all this work in progress and learn from the experts how energy conservation can be improved. All of a sudden reducing our bills and our emissions are far greater than we could have achieved on our own.”
The building team from Keepmoat, who have now been working tirelessly onsite for over two weeks, have already installed the under-floor and loft insulation, replaced the glass in all of the windows with energy efficiency glass, and installed the external wall insulation. Combined together, these measures will increase the thermal efficiency of the house as less heat will escape. This means that the heating will be turned on for shorter periods, thus reducing fuel consumption and ultimately the heating bill.
Our homes are responsible for 27 percent of the UK’s carbon emissions. Government, supported by all three main parties, has set a target to reduce carbon emissions by 34 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. In partnership with the 10:10 Campaign, the Great British Refurb competition aims to show what can be done in our homes to meet the Government’s carbon emissions targets, reduce our use of energy, and save money.
Speaking about the campaign, Grand Design’s Kevin McCloud said: “It is vital that we cut our carbon emissions and meet these targets —Â and our homes are the obvious place to start. We need a nationwide programme of green refurbishment that is sensitive to the fantastic diversity of housing types in Britain, and if people can’t afford the upfront costs of what will ultimately save them money, then we need to find ways to help to do so. This is why the Great British Refurb Campaign is so important.”
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