Member Article

Temperatures Rise In Craghead

Residents of a street in Craghead in County Durham are already enjoying the benefits of new insulation thanks to Warm Up North’s first major external wall insulation (EWI) project.

As part of a six week project to increase energy efficiency and reduce heat loss, insulation has been fitted to the outside walls of 10 homes on Wagtail Terrace, part-funded by owners, Warm Up North and Durham County Council. Families could now benefit from warmer homes and lower energy bills, potentially saving up to £180[1] per year for mid-terrace properties, with end terrace households on the street potentially saving as much as £270[1] per year.

Built prior to the 1920s, the homes on Wagtail Terrace were constructed with solid exterior walls which typically allow twice as much heat to escape than newer buildings with cavity walls.

Ian Weatherston, Head of Warm Up North, said: “Older style properties with solid walls, such as the former miners cottages in Craghead, can be much more expensive to heat than homes with cavity walls.

“Traditional methods of installing insulation are simply not possible and although an extremely effective solution, external wall insulation can be an expensive option. However, we’re delighted to have been able to help residents in Craghead to benefit from these energy efficiency measures as part of our first major external wall insulation project in partnership with Durham County Council.”

Amongst those who have benefited from the Warm Up North’s project are Paul and Ailsa Monaghan, and their two young children. The family has already noticed a difference in their heating costs. Now they only switch it on for a couple of hours each evening and thanks to the newly fitted insulation, their home now remains warm throughout the night.

Ailsa said: “For us, the difference this has made to our home has been very noticeable. We’ve lived here for seven years and we’ve always found our energy bills, particularly for gas, were higher than they should be.

“The support which we have received from Warm Up North and Durham County Council has assisted us in significantly improving our home.”

In addition to helping residents to reduce their energy bills, the insulation has also transformed the exterior of the properties. Paul added: “Our home has been in my wife’s family since the 1960s and since moving in, we’ve seen some big changes in Craghead mainly down to the housing improvements which have been taking place in the village.

“As well as feeling much warmer, we are also very pleased with how our property looks following the completion of the work – the street now looks like a row of new houses.”

Committed to increasing the energy efficiency of North East homes, the project in Craghead is the first of many similar programmes of work from Warm Up North, including a further project which will provide external insulation improvements to two properties located on Pine Street in South Moor, funded by the Stanley Area Action Partnership and delivered through Warm Up North.

Cllr Neil Foster, Cabinet member for regeneration and economic development at Durham County Council, said: “These projects in Craghead and in South Moor have made a huge difference to local families by making their homes warmer, reducing their energy bills and improving the appearance of their properties.

“Durham County Council and Stanley Area Action Partnership are delighted to support this important work through the Warm Up North scheme.”

Endorsed by nine North East local authorities, including Durham County Council, Warm Up North enables residents in the North East to benefit from funded, part-funded and self-funded energy efficiency measures, including hard to treat cavity wall, solid wall and loft insulation, to help make their homes more efficient and reduce energy consumption.

For more information on how Warm Up North is helping to make homes more energy efficient in the North East call the team on free* phone 0800 294 8073.

[1] Average savings and reductions as detailed by the Energy Saving Trust: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Warm Up North .