Resident Voices

Resident Voices

One resident described her installation as unremarkable, and meant it as a compliment. The team called the week before. They called the day before. They arrived on time, introduced themselves, explained what they would do and how long it would take. At the end of the day they showed her how the new windows worked and cleaned up. 

On a nearby estate, another resident praised a window installer who asked to borrow her hoover before he left. What stayed with her was the accumulation of small things done right: being asked in advance about each stage; having a leak dealt with immediately; and clear communication throughout. 

Our Citizen Scientists collected many stories like these. But some stories showed us where we need to do better. Below are a few examples we think are worth sharing, about the wide range of experiences people have had on past retrofit programmes. To protect people's privacy, each portrait draws on more than one resident's experience - the details are real, but combined so no individual can be identified.

Portrait 1: Warm for the first time in fifty years

One resident had lived in his Lewisham home for almost fifty years. Every winter he sat in his armchair under a throw, too cold to take it off even while watching TV. 

After cavity wall insulation was fitted, the next winter was different. For the first time in decades, he was turning his radiators down, not up. He called it amazing – not a word he used lightly.

Right: Diagram from the zine, showing the effects of adding insulation into your home (Paul Robinson [green blue creative])

Portait 2: The £80 a month she had not expected

One resident had solar panels fitted, and for a long time, she did not know how to use them. Nobody had explained which appliances to run during daylight hours (roughly 9am to 4pm) or that she needed to register with her energy provider after installation. 

When someone finally sat down and explained it, she started shifting her habits. She estimated she was saving around £80 a month. 

Her experience was not unusual. Going forward, every resident will get a full explanation of any new system before the installation team leaves.

Left: Diagram from the zine, showing excess solar energy going into the National Grid (Paul Robinson [green blue creative])

Portrait 3: The relationship that made the difference

Among residents who had an RLO they trusted, the experience of retrofit was transformed for the better. One resident called her RLO over and over again during a difficult stretch – contractors not arriving, problems not being dealt with.  

The RLO always picked up. Always passed the message on. Always stayed calm when the resident understandably could not.  

Now, every resident is assigned a named RLO from the moment work is confirmed.

Right: Research quotes curated by Saffron and Miren in the zine (Citizen Scientists)

Portrait 4: The fan that nobody explained

When a continuous ventilation fan was installed in one resident’s home, it ran through the night. She had not been told it would do this. She reported it as a fault.  

A contractor came and switched it to manual mode, which stopped the noise but also stopped the fan from working properly. It took three visits before someone finally explained what the fan was designed to do. 

Left: Diagram from the zine, showing the advantages of making sure your home is ventilated (Paul Robinson [green blue creative])

Portrait 5: The first winter without mould

One resident had painted over mould in her bedroom every year for as long as she could remember. She had tried sprays. She had tried opening windows. Nothing worked for long. 

After insulation and ventilation were installed, the mould did not come back the following winter. It was, she said, the first winter in years that it had not.

Right: Diagram from the zine, depicting a damp, mouldy home in need of retrofit (Paul Robinson [green blue creative])