Ruth, a landlord with experience of renovating properties, bought a 150-year-old three-bedroom detached stone cottage near Airdrie to rent out. She wanted to renovate the property to make it more energy efficient, which would make it much cosier and appealing to tenants.
Getting free, expert and impartial advice from Home Energy Scotland
Ruth knew that the property’s storage heaters were inefficient and expensive to run and was keen to explore alternatives.
After speaking to Home Energy Scotland advisors at a homebuilding and renovating show about renewable heating options, arrangements were made for an advisor to visit the cottage.
A landlord specialist visited the property before providing a report outlining the heating options available to her. Ruth was keen to install an air source heat pump after hearing from the renewable specialist about the energy savings she could make and the Renewable Heat Incentive payments she would receive.
Ruth says, “because we were doing a full renovation and virtually building a new house within an old building, with the amount of insulation we were using we knew the heat pump system would work really well. And it does!”
Getting financial help, funded by the Scottish Government
Ruth applied for an interest free loan, by the Scottish Government, to help cover the costs of installation. Ruth says that without this “we wouldn’t have considered installing it… as we had so much else to pay for during the renovation.”
Ruth says that the energy savings and Renewable Heat Incentive payments will help to cover her interest-free loan repayments.
Getting a heat pump installed
Ruth used the Renewables Installer Finder to find five local installers to quote for the job. After evaluating the quotes, she chose TK Murray to carry out the work because of their experience installing air source heat pumps in rural properties.
TK Murry charged £11,500 to install a Mitsibushi Ecodan 8.5kW air to water heat pump, hot water cylinder, and radiators. Ruth says that the company had a designated person who was “invaluable guiding us through the process” and that the installation was “incredibly smooth and professionally done.”
Making other energy efficiency improvements
Ruth took advantage of the property being unoccupied to install underfloor heating, as well as insulation in the flooring and in the loft to the highest possible standards. As the cottage doesn’t have a cavity wall, Ruth installed both internal and external wall insulation to ensure as little heat is lost through the walls as possible. Ruth also replaced the aging windows with brand-new double-glazed windows. To top it all off, the property also has double glazed doors, A-rated appliances, and LED lights throughout.
Feeling the benefits
Ruth’s cottage is now fully renovated and has achieved a B rating on its Energy Performance Certificate. Ruth says that “everyone who’s visited has been really impressed how warm the house is and that there’s constant hot water.”
She’s also delighted that her new tenants “love that the house is warm and cosy”.
Ruth’s advice for other landlords considering installing a heat pump is “do your research. Get a survey done and take all the knowledgeable and helpful advice you can get from Home Energy Scotland.”
Feeling inspired?
If you’re considering installing renewable technology such as a heat pump, our Home Renewables Selector will help you discover your options and calculate your savings.
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