The Scottish Government

Case Study 3

Mr and Mrs Dixon are a retired couple who live in a post-war end of terrace house in Dumbarton.

Before improvements

They used to heat their living room with a gas fire and had two portable electric fires in the hallway, one upstairs and one downstairs. Although they had double glazing, they cavity walls had not been filled and there was only 100mm of loft insulation. The NHER of the property was only 3.3.

The Dixons reported that they used to leave the gas fire in the living room on 24 hours a day on cold winter days and they would also leave the electric fires on all day, but that they house was still cold. They also had black mould and dampness in one of the bedrooms.

Improvements carried out under the Central Heating Programme

An energy-efficient Combi boiler was installed, with a programmer thermostat and thermostatic radiator valves. The cavity walls were insulated and the loft insulation topped-up to 200mm.

The effect of improvements

The NHER has risen to 8.2 (an increase of 4.9) and the Dixon's fuel bills have fallen to 14 per week. They reported that, in particular, they noticed the benefit of the improved insulation. Even when they switch off their central heating the house can remain warm for hours afterwards.