Helping residents stay warm and well in their homes - Dorothy & her new air source heat pump

As cities around the world work hard to address climate change, innovative solutions are being implemented to reduce carbon footprints and improve people’s homes. However, transitioning to new technologies can be daunting, especially for people who are unfamiliar with the latest advancements.

Earlier this year, Manchester City Council began to retrofit social houses across Manchester, in an effort to combat climate change and help people to stay warm and well in their homes. These installations included air source heat pumps, which absorbs heat from outside a building and releases it inside.

When Dorothy had a heat pump installed in her home, she found the new technology hard to understand, as she was only given a complicated manual by the installer. As a result, she was scared to use her new heating system and feared leaving the house in case something were to happen. Dorothy lives alone and has respiratory issues which can be impacted through cold conditions, making it all the more important for her heating system to work efficiently.

As part of Groundwork Greater Manchester’s work through In Our Nature, Dorothy met Shammy, one of Groundwork’s Green Doctors through an event at the church she regularly attends. Shammy helped Dot to feel more confident using her heat pump, collaborating with external installers to give Dorothy and her neighbours a proper run through of the controls and the best way to use the system. 

“Shammy has been a great help, and I feel more comfortable leaving the house now that I know how to use the new system.”

When asked what advice she’d give to others struggling to understand new retrofit measures, Dorothy said:

“The only thing I can say is to try and get in touch with somebody that does know about them and can explain it to you, because it’s just so different.” 

Shammy also assisted Dorothy with claiming some money back from her gas company after her radiators were changed from gas to electric by the council.

“Shammy got on the phone to British Gas, and asked them would they put that money back into my bank that I had in credit, so she did all that for me as well.”

In the end, Dorothy received £400 of credit back into her bank account, as well as £70 of support from the Cadent Winter Support Fund which Shammy also helped her to access. Since Dorothy lives off her pension, this extra money has allowed her to feel much more secure.

If you or somebody you know is struggling to navigate bills, understand how to use a new retrofit measure, or want more information about retrofit installations, get in touch with Groundwork’s Green Doctors.