• the size and construction of the property

• insulation levels

• windows and doors

• heat loss from each room

• existing radiators

• underfloor heating

• hot water requirements

• available space

• location of the external unit

• electrical supply

• your existing heating system

• planned future improvements

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At APN Green Homes, we believe the important question is not simply whether a heat pump can be installed, but how well a heat pump would work in your particular home.

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Is My House Suitable for a Heat Pump if It Is Older?

 

Potentially, yes.

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One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding heat pumps is that they only work in highly insulated modern homes.

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Older houses can also use heat pumps successfully.

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The difference is that older homes often require more careful assessment.

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A Victorian or Edwardian property may have:

• solid external walls

• suspended timber floors

• older windows

• high ceilings

• larger rooms

• greater air leakage

• extensions constructed at different times

• radiators originally designed around a gas boiler

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None of these automatically makes a heat pump unsuitable.

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They simply affect the amount of heat the property requires and how that heat should be delivered.

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Does My Home Need to Be Fully Insulated First?

 

No — but reducing unnecessary heat loss can make a heat pump installation considerably more effective.

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Before changing the heating system, it is sensible to understand where the home is losing heat.

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Possible improvements can include:

• loft insulation

• cavity wall insulation

• internal wall insulation

• external wall insulation

• floor insulation

• improved windows

• draught reduction

• better doors

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This does not mean every possible insulation measure must be completed before installing a heat pump.

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Some improvements provide much better value than others.

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The objective should be to identify the measures that make sense for your particular property rather than pursuing insulation simply for the sake of reaching an arbitrary standard.

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Why Is Heat Loss Important?

 

A heat pump must be capable of replacing the heat being lost from your home.

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That makes heat-loss assessment one of the most important parts of designing a heat pump system.

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Heat escapes through:

• walls

• roofs

• floors

• windows

• doors

• ventilation

• uncontrolled draughts

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Larger homes and poorly insulated homes will generally lose more heat than smaller, better insulated properties.

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The amount of heat lost also varies from room to room.

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A large living room with several external walls and extensive glazing may require considerably more heating than a small internal bedroom.

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Understanding this helps determine both the heat pump requirement and the size of the radiators or other heat emitters needed within each room.

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Will My Existing Radiators Work With a Heat Pump?

 

Possibly.

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Installing a heat pump does not automatically mean replacing every radiator in the house.

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However, some radiators may need to be upgraded.

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Traditional gas boilers frequently operate with relatively high water temperatures.

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Heat pumps are generally more efficient when producing lower-temperature water.

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Because the water circulating through the radiators may therefore be cooler, a larger radiator surface area can be needed to provide the same amount of heat to a room.

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A room-by-room assessment can identify which existing radiators are adequate and which may need to be enlarged.

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In some rooms, the existing radiator may already be larger than necessary and could work perfectly well.

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Do I Need Underfloor Heating for a Heat Pump?

 

No.

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Heat pumps can work with correctly sized radiators.

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However, underfloor heating can be particularly well suited to heat pumps because it uses a very large surface area to distribute heat at relatively low water temperatures.

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This can make it an attractive option where a home is already undergoing major refurbishment.

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For example, if floors are being replaced as part of an extension or whole-house renovation, it may be worth considering underfloor heating at the same time.

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Retrofitting underfloor heating solely because you are installing a heat pump is a different decision.

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The cost and disruption should be weighed against the potential benefit.

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A combination can also work well, with underfloor heating on the ground floor and radiators upstairs.

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What If I Currently Have a Combi Boiler?

 

A home with a combi boiler may still be suitable for a heat pump.

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However, there is an important difference.

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A combi boiler heats domestic hot water on demand and therefore does not usually require a hot water cylinder.

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Most conventional air source heat pump systems provide hot water differently and will normally require some form of hot water storage.

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That means finding suitable space for a cylinder can be an important part of determining whether a heat pump is practical.

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Possible locations might include:

• an airing cupboard

• utility room

• plant room

• garage

• enlarged cupboard

• suitable loft or ancillary area where appropriate

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The heating system therefore needs to be considered alongside the available space within the home.

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Where Would the Heat Pump Go?

 

An air source heat pump requires an external unit.

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This typically looks similar in principle to an external air-conditioning unit.

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Its location needs careful consideration.

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The unit requires access to outside air and sufficient clearance around it.

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Its position should also consider:

• neighbouring properties

• windows

• doors

• garden use

• maintenance access

• appearance

• pipe routes

• noise

• planning requirements

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Automatically positioning the unit immediately outside the existing boiler location is not necessarily the best solution.

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A slightly longer pipe route may sometimes allow a much better external location.

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Do I Need a Large Garden?

 

No.

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An air source heat pump does not require a large garden.

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Many can be positioned within relatively modest external spaces.

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What matters is having a suitable location where the unit can operate efficiently and be maintained.

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A ground source heat pump is different.

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Ground source systems require buried pipework or boreholes and therefore involve substantially more ground works.

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They can be particularly attractive for homes with large gardens or land, but they are not normally the first choice for a typical urban property.

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What About Terraced Houses?

 

Terraced houses can potentially use air source heat pumps.

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Limited external space can make locating the unit more challenging, particularly where the garden is small or neighbouring properties are close by.

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But this does not automatically rule them out.

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The external layout, access, noise considerations and pipe routes need to be assessed individually.

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End-of-terrace and semi-detached properties can sometimes provide more positioning options because of their additional external walls and side access.

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Are Flats Suitable for Heat Pumps?

 

Flats require more careful consideration.

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An individual flat may have limited options for positioning an external heat pump unit.

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There can also be issues involving:

• freeholder consent

• lease restrictions

• communal walls

• shared roofs

• external elevations

• balconies

• planning

• noise

• ownership of external areas

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Purpose-designed communal or shared heat-pump systems can sometimes provide a better solution for blocks of flats.

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An individual leaseholder should therefore establish the ownership and consent position before making plans for an external installation.

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Does My Electrical Supply Matter?

 

Yes.

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A heat pump uses electricity, so the existing electrical installation and available supply need to be considered.

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Many ordinary homes can accommodate a domestic heat pump, but the installer should check the electrical requirements of the proposed system.

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This becomes particularly important where the household is also considering other substantial electrical loads such as:

• EV charging

• electric cooking

• air conditioning

• battery storage

• electric hot water

• solar equipment

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Rather than looking at each technology separately, it can be useful to consider how the home's future electrical demands will work together.

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Can Solar Panels Power a Heat Pump?

 

Solar panels and heat pumps can complement one another, but their relationship needs to be understood realistically.

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Solar PV produces electricity.

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A heat pump consumes electricity.

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Some electricity generated by solar panels can therefore contribute towards operating the heat pump when generation and heating demand occur at the same time.

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However, solar generation is highest during brighter periods while home heating demand is greatest during colder and darker periods.

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Solar panels should therefore not normally be regarded as providing all the electricity required by a heat pump throughout winter.

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They can nevertheless form part of a wider low-carbon home energy strategy.

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What About Solar Panels and Battery Storage?

 

Adding battery storage can allow more solar-generated electricity to be retained for use later in the day.

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This can increase the proportion of solar electricity used within the property rather than exported.

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A home incorporating:

• solar PV

• battery storage

• a heat pump

• smart heating controls

• EV charging

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can potentially manage electricity in a much more sophisticated way than a conventional home.

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The important issue is designing the systems to work together rather than purchasing each piece of technology independently.

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Would Better Windows Help?

 

They can.

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Windows form part of the overall heat-loss calculation for a property.

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Old single-glazed or poorly fitting windows can lose considerably more heat than modern high-performance glazing.

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Replacing inefficient windows can therefore reduce heating demand and improve comfort.

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But windows should be considered proportionately.

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It may not make financial sense to replace good-quality existing windows solely because you are considering a heat pump.

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The objective is to identify where improvements provide worthwhile benefits.

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How Important Is Draught Proofing?

 

Very.

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A house can have substantial insulation yet still feel cold because uncontrolled air leakage continually allows warm air to escape.

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Common draught locations include:

• windows

• external doors

• suspended timber floors

• loft hatches

• service penetrations

• unused fireplaces

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Reducing uncontrolled draughts can improve comfort and reduce heat demand.

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But a home still needs appropriate ventilation.

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The aim is not to create an airtight property without considering how fresh air enters and moisture leaves the building.

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Ventilation and insulation should therefore be considered together.

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What Size Heat Pump Do I Need?

 

Heat pumps should be sized according to the heating requirements of the property rather than simply copying the output of the existing boiler.

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A boiler may have been significantly oversized because it also needs to provide rapid domestic hot water.

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Heat pump design works differently.

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A heat-loss calculation can establish the approximate heating demand of the home under colder conditions.

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Installing a substantially oversized heat pump is not necessarily better.

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Correct design is more important than simply buying the largest available unit.

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Will a Heat Pump Keep My House Warm in Winter?

 

A correctly designed heat pump system should be capable of heating the home during winter conditions.

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The way it operates may feel different from a conventional boiler.

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Rather than repeatedly delivering very hot radiators for short periods, heat pumps often work most effectively by maintaining more consistent temperatures over longer periods.

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This makes correct controls, radiator sizing and system design particularly important.

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A household accustomed to switching a powerful boiler on and off for short periods may therefore need to use the heating differently.

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Can Heat Pumps Work in Period Homes?

 

Yes.

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Period properties should not automatically be dismissed as unsuitable for heat pumps.

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But they deserve a more considered approach.

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A period home may combine traditional construction with decades of alterations and improvements.

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For example, one property might contain:

• original solid brick walls

• a modern insulated extension

• replacement double glazing

• an older suspended floor

• a recently insulated roof

• several generations of radiators

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Treating that home as though every part performs identically can produce poor results.

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A whole-house assessment is particularly valuable in this type of property.

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Should I Improve the Fabric or Install the Heat Pump First?

 

There is no universal answer.

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For some properties, carrying out relatively inexpensive insulation and draught-proofing measures first is sensible because it reduces the heating requirement.

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For another property, the fabric may already be reasonably efficient and a heat pump could be the logical next step.

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The important issue is the sequence of improvements.

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There is little benefit in installing a heating system today based on high heat losses if major insulation work planned next year will significantly reduce those requirements.

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Equally, there is no reason to delay a worthwhile heat pump installation for years while pursuing minor improvements that make little practical difference.

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Is a Heat Pump the Best Upgrade for My Home?

 

Not necessarily.

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Heat pumps can be an excellent solution, but they are one of several technologies available to homeowners.

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Depending on the property and budget, other improvements could provide a better first investment.

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These might include:

• loft or wall insulation

• improved glazing

• solar panels

• battery storage

• smart heating controls

• draught reduction

• ventilation improvements

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This is why APN Green Homes does not start with a particular product.

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We start with the home.

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Think About the Whole Home

 

The question “is my house suitable for a heat pump?” cannot be answered properly by looking only at the existing boiler.

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The roof, walls, floors, windows, radiators, hot water, external space, electricity supply and future plans can all affect the decision.

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A heat pump that is carefully designed around the property can become part of a much wider strategy incorporating insulation, solar electricity, battery storage and smart energy management.

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That is the approach behind APN Green Homes.

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Every home is different. Your green home plan should be too.

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We create a practical blueprint for improving your home using today's energy-saving and low-carbon technologies — prioritised around your property, your budget and your future plans.

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Want to know whether a heat pump is right for your home?

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NEXT STEPS

Every home is different, so the right next step depends on your property, your budget and what you want to achieve. APN Green Homes can help you turn the information you have just read into a practical plan for your own home. Whether you are considering one improvement or looking at a complete whole-home energy upgrade, we can help you understand what is suitable, what should be prioritised and where your money is likely to make the greatest difference.

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Choose one of the options below to get the ball rolling:

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BOOK A GREEN HOME SURVEY
Get a detailed assessment of your home with practical, property-specific recommendations and a clear plan for the improvements worth considering.

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BOOK A PHONE CONSULTATION
Talk through your property, ideas and priorities with us and get some initial direction on the best way forward.

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EMAIL US
Send us details of your property, photographs or any questions and we can advise you on the most appropriate next step.

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GIVE US A CALL
Prefer to speak to someone? Give us a call and tell us what you are hoping to achieve.

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Your greener, more efficient home starts with understanding the right improvements for your property — and putting them in the right order.