Energy bills: The difficulty of making your home energy efficient

The couple spoke to several consultants, but Ms Peace found that the advice they received was often focused on meeting Passive House standards – an ultra-energy efficient building type.

“In that pragmatic middle space where you’re literally saying, ‘We’ve got so much money, what’s the best place to put it?’” Ms. Peace adds, “there wasn’t a lot of it.

However, persistence over the past three years has paid off: the couple’s detached home, built in the 1930s, now has improved insulation, a heat pump and an electric vehicle charging station. Solar panels and batteries will be available soon if all goes according to plan.

Recognizing the confusion surrounding approaches to remodeling, some organizations are seeking to improve the guidance available to homeowners. Among them is Ecofurb.

“We can model all the available options to suit your home and your budget and determine a package of measures,” says Liz Leine of Parity Projects, the housing data analytics company that runs Ecofurb.

The firm offers this initial consultation free of charge, but full plans with individual input from a retrofit coordinator start from £470. Ecofurb can also monitor any work carried out by contractors to avoid “horror stories”, Ms Laine says.