What's our exciting offer? A free retrofit assessment of your house!

As part of our launch of "Future Fit Homes in Wirksworth & Middleton" we have raised the money to pay for a house in Wirksworth or Middleton to be assessed by a qualifield retrofit assessor. A survey is made to establish what measures are needed to  reduce heat loss.

The string attached is that we want to use the assessment as an example to show people what is involved. The assessor will do the survey probably in September and will come to the Maltings on 1st October or 5 November to explain how retrofit (installing energy efficiency measures to an existing house) works and to use the local house as an example of what he or she does.

Any Wirksworth or Middleton owner occupier can apply. Having an assessment and report indicates work that might be done, but does not commit you to doing it.

An ideal house for our purposes is one that was built after WW I up to a decade or two after WW II. We are keen to have applications from people who have so far made very few energy efficiency changes. Especially someone who owns and lives in such a house, but has not had the funds to improve it.

Click here for the short application form.

                   

Future Fit Homes for Wirksworth & Middleton

is a project started by WTCLT to help people save money on their energy bills by installing energy efficiency measures in their house.

Only the most unobservant will be unaware of the current energy price crisis engulfing homes and businesses in the UK. While there is a price cap on unit prices and standing charges this has not prevented prices soaring and forecasts that are extremely worrying and for most people unaffordable.

Our inital aim was to build new zero carbon housing but this does nothing to help occupiers of existing homes where a large proportion of UK energy is used and lost to poor building fabric condition. Future Fit Homes is our project to show people how to retrofit their homes and reduce energy consumption and bills where possible.

To this end we will be present in town on the following dates which coincide with the Farmers’ Market.  

Saturday 3^rd September – Our information stall at the Farmers’ Market, 9.30 to 12ish. Find out about our Open Eco Homes event  coming up in October and our exciting offer of a free retrofit assessment! 

Saturday 1^st October –  Our information stall plus suppliers and expert advice in The Maltings, 9.30 to 11.30.

Book your place on a guided tour of a local home where energy saving work has been carried out (Tours on Saturday 1^st and Sunday 2^nd October.)

Saturday 5^th November – Our information stall, plus suppliers and expert advice in The Maltings, 9.30 to 11.30

We also hope to have the Fantastic Home mobile exhibition with Marches Energy Agency in town to give residents advice on improving the energy efficiency of their homes. This will be sponsored by Derbyshire Dales District Council.

 We look forward to seeing you soon.
 

We urge Derbyshire Dales District Council to use the opportunity of their Local Plan Review to introduce the highest possible environmental standards for new homes.

As a charitable community land trust, we are committed to improving the energy efficiency of housing, new and existing. We do this because we know that the best possible energy efficiency in housing is an important priority for tackling both the climate crisis and the current cost of living crisis, which are related.
 
One way energy efficiency in housing can be improved is by the District Council revising the policies of their Derbyshire Dales Local Plan, which is currently being reviewed. (The deadline was recently extended to December 2023). The review includes entries about action on climate change and specifically mentions in policy PD7 “Securing energy efficiency through building design”.
 
We ask the District Council to strengthen housing standards by adopting a standard for zero carbon housing. We believe it should be the Passivhaus standard because it ensures the lowest energy demand – which requires the least need to purchase heating and is the most effective way to reduce fuel poverty very substantially. Obtaining Passivhaus standard adds to the building costs, but we offer the evidence that the costs as a percentage are coming down and are ‘paid for’ over the life of the houses. Achieving