The project ends on 31 March 2023. All of our remaining subsidised assessments are now booked, but we sometimes get cancellations. If you want to put you name on a waiting list you can do so by completing the form below.
Alternatively you can purchase an assessment through the Futureproof service.
Email us (retrofit@brutontown.com), or if you are ready to register fill in our Get Started Form. Tom, our project officer will get back to you to find out more about you and your home and talk you through when and how we can help.
Get started!
The GET STARTED form takes about 20 minutes to complete. It asks detailed questions about your property and its heating and insulation. Because it’s a Google Form, you can’t save and return to complete the rest of it later: it needs to be completed and submitted in one sitting. You may want to download a copy to think through your answers before you start. (Please note that this download has an old and incomplete list of parishes. The online form and the list below are both up to date).
You don’t have to complete the form in full to receive a service, but it helps us if you do, and you may also find it helpful as preparation for the home assessment.
What happens to the information you give us
No information is shared with Bruton Town Council until you click submit at the end of the form.
The information is stored by Bruton in an electronic database accessible only to the Retrofit Project Officer, the database owner and the IT manager. (Bruton being a small Council the latter two are both Town Councillors. They will only access the information if there are technical problems with the form, the database or the IT system).
Information from your form will also be shared securely with the Centre for Sustainable Energy. Their contractors will carry out your assessment. You can read how they manage personal information here.
Who, where, and how much does it cost?
Where
The service is for owners of homes in the following parishes. Retrofit Bruton and Cary does not operate outside these parishes.
Bruton
Ansford
Batcombe
Bratton Seymour
Brewham
Charlton Musgrove
Ditcheat
Lamyatt
Milton Clevedon
Penselwood
Pitcombe
Shepton Montague
Upton Noble
Castle Cary
Alford
Lovington
North Barrow
North Cadbury
South Barrow
Wincanton
Yarlington
How much?
Informal advice (a telephone discussion) is free across the area. A one-off £10 registration fee will be charged to move on to a home assessment.
The assessment and home retrofit report are free except for exceptionally large and complex properties. It is impossible to specify in advance how much additional charge may be applied, but no further work will be undertaken until you have been told what it will cost.
If you live outside our area
CSE offer their Futureproof service right across Somerset. This will be the same service as offered by Retrofit Bruton and Cary, but it is unsubsidised. Please use the Futureproof website to find out more, including the current prices, and to refer yourself (do not use our Get Started form).
Step one: assessment
A contractor from CSE will visit and carry out a detailed survey of your whole house, to find out everything about your existing energy usage and the building itself. They will also want to understand your retrofit goals, and whether you have other work planned which retrofit work could integrate with (such as a new kitchen or extension).
Occasionally, additional specialist assessments will be needed, such as air-tightness testing. We will advise about suitable professionals, but not carry out this work. You will need to pay for these services.
Preparing for your home assessment
The assessment will take a minimum of two hours (longer for larger and more complex properties). To conduct a thorough and professional assessment we will need to go everywhere and photograph everything!
To prepare for the assessment, please have ready twelve months of utility bills. It will also be helfpul to have any plans of your property that are available, and documentation relating to your heating system, double-glazing etc.
We will draw a detailed floor plan, and look in detail at the construction of your property and your heating system. We will also look at its condition (damp, defective guttering and downpipes, ventilation grills, render and roof condition, extractor fans etc).
We will record access issues, shading and solar gain and the impact of any extensions and conservatories.
We will review and record actual energy usage data.
Finally we will discuss your particular issues with the property, ie the things that you want to see addressed, and your future plans.
Step two: home retrofit plan
Following the visit CSE will draw up a bespoke home retrofit plan for your home. This will detail all the measures you could take to make your home as energy efficient as possible. It will also give recommendations on which are the most cost-effective measures, and the best order to do things in, taking into account your budget, goals and plans.
Step three: guidance on specifying and taking the work forward
Your home retrofit plan will include advice about taking the work forward. Additional advice will depend on your property, and the kind of work it needs, but could include advice about what further professional assistance you may need (eg for specifying the work or project management) and how to choose the right contractors for the work.
The Somerset Green Directory lists tradespeople and professionals interested in this kind of work.
Bruton Town Council cannot recommend specific designers or contractors. The following local registered architects have expressed a particular interest in retrofit work. It is for you to assess their suitability: all we are doing is confirming their interest by listing them. (Others not on this list may be able to help).
PA-AD Architects Ltd: Terry Pinto, 01373 455500, Studio 4, Stony Street Studios, 16 Stony Street, Frome, Somerset, BA11 1BU.
Funlab design: Luke Hayes, 07866 763715, Frome-based.
Elizabeth Venning: 07773 303035, Frome-based.
Bindloss Dawes Architects: Oliver Bindloss, 01749 812178, 9 Quaperlake Street, Bruton, Somerset, BA10.
Oliver Justice: 07970 854009, Studio 7, Makers Yard, 37 Lower Keyford, Frome, BA11 4AR
Paying for the improvements
Retrofit Bruton and Cary does not pay for the work on your property or offer financial assistance with the work. We will help identify other sources of assistance. Please see our Paying for the Work page for more information.