Customer:
Mrs B

Mrs B found out about the Energy Efficient Scotland: Area­-Based Scheme after receiving a leaflet through the post about it. She had also heard about the scheme from some friends in Orkney who had applied and recommended getting in touch.

Her home is one of the first in Orkney to have taken part in a trial involving robotically-applied underfloor insulation. A small robot, known as Q-bot, is placed under the floorboards of the house and controlled remotely. Insulating foam is then applied in a controlled manner under the floorboards to improve and increase heat retention in the property.

“Our property’s energy efficiency was poor, with very little insulation and heating so we wanted to make sure our house was warm and comfortable. As first-time buyers with little experience of installing these types of measures, I was also keen to make sure we used a trusted installer with a good track record. Benefiting from the scheme has allowed us to save money and put it towards other future home improvements.”

After she got in touch with the local Warmworks team in Kirkwall, we arranged for a survey to be carried out of her home to look at what could be done to make it warmer and more energy efficient for her.

The survey was quick and efficient, and the surveyor explained his recommendations to me and what to expect in the next stages.

The survey recommended that Mrs B’s home would benefit from electric storage heaters and robotically-applied underfloor insulation. The next stage in the process was for a technical survey to be carried out, to look at what would be involved at the installation stage in more detail.

“The company who carried out the technical survey and installation were great. Very friendly and informative. They answered all my questions and made some useful suggestions about the water heater and how this could be improved. I really appreciated this since my knowledge on technical matters like this is not great.”

The next step in the process was the installation of the electric storage heaters and the robotically-applied underfloor insulation. For the underfloor insulation, the Q-Bot was controlled remotely to spray insulating foam under the floorboards, with the aim of improving heat retention in Mrs B’s home.

“I was really impressed with the installation team. They were timely ond worked hard to get the job done on time. I work from home and so I really appreciated that there was minimal disruption as the work was underway. Everything was cleaned and tied away at the end, and I am so pleased with how everything looks and works now.

The installers were excellent. They arrived when expected and worked hard and long days to get the job finished on time. I was really impressed with the finished look of the final installation – the work carried out is clean, tidy and very professional. The installers also took time to explain what they were doing at all stages of the installation, which I really appreciated.”

Mrs B says that, thanks to the installation of the electric storage heaters and the underfloor insulation, she has noticed a difference in her house.

We are so pleased with the work that was carried out. Our heating and hot water system has been completely modernised and improved, which has made a massive difference to the comfort of our house.

Mrs B also says that she has noticed a difference thanks to the underfloor insulation that has been installed in her home using Q-Bot technology.

“With the underfloor insulation, I have noticed our house feels much more snug and free of draughts. I imagine we will notice a big difference this winter with less draughts and generally warmer. With all improvements made to our property via the scheme, I feel a much greater pride in our house. The scheme has helped us to modernise our energy usage and improved the comfort levels in our home.”