Customer's survey testimonials

On this page, we've collected some representative feedback from customers who've had a internal home survey.

From the 2019/20 surveying season (phase 5)

• "We have secondary-glazed the main windows, fitted Solar PV etc but are not perfect. Also, I haven't really monitored the results. But we ARE happier and warmer in the house by a mile." - Owner of a large Georgian terraced house.

• "Thank you so much for completing our survey. We would have made more progress had we not been in lockdown. The video was really useful to see where we are losing heat and the advice from the energy tracers extremely helpful."

• "5/5 Brilliant! I would love to help spread the word."

• "5/5 I am very glad this organisation exists. It is much needed. The thermal imaging was a revelation! The energy tracers were very thorough and I did feel by the end that I had a much better understanding of heat loss in my own house. Remedies suggested were practical and often very affordable solutions. Yes, I do feel that the survey was good value for money. I feel confident that if I can take some of the steps recommended, my house will be less draughty and warmer (especially the very cold kitchen) and there is a good chance that my heating bills will therefore reduce."

• "I was very interested in the findings of the survey and surprised at some of the places that were cold spots (such as floor/skirting junctions). It has thrown up the need for a myriad of little remedial jobs, which is a bit daunting. My next task is to prioritise those that will be easiest and most effective to carry out."

• "It was definitely well worth having the CHEESE Project survey. I certainly know a great deal more now about how to keep the house nice and warm. The Surveyor was very pleasant and very patient in explaining the results of the survey."

• "Very helpful in every respect. House much warmer and less damp."

• "Survey was very helpful and the guys were great - very useful to have everything written down, as well as the film of the survey. There were mostly things that I would have had no idea about."

• "Well - I am staggered. I've just had a 3 hour walk around my house and we've identified cracks, leaky windows, chimney stuff, a bay window letting in damp and an unnecessary vent - venting in mountains of cold which no longer needs to be there. This is going to save me mountains once I've done the work. Well done Boycee and Richard - so professional."

• "Rob and Chris phoned shortly before their arrival to let us know exactly when we could expect them. Before unpacking their kit, they sat down to carefully explain what they would be doing during the survey. Their hi-tec gadgets include a thermal imaging camera which connects wirelessly to a tablet so that my wife and I could see exactly what was being recorded throughout the survey, which meant we felt fully involved at every stage. What we weren't expecting, in addition to the thermal imaging, was that they would be investigating all of our big and small drafts by putting an air-tight fan on the front door to reduce the air pressure inside the house. It was amazing to be able to feel the cold air whistling through the cracks.
  
  Chris proceeded through every room in the house to seek out every little draught and cold spot. He did this with great patience, thoroughly checking behind furniture, up at ceiling height and in the hidden corners. We learnt a huge amount about the structure and history of our house, with plenty of surprising features shown up by the tell-tale cold spots.
  
  Chris and Rob were careful not to be prescriptive about the type of solutions we might benefit from, but were also generous in offering some sound advice from their combined wealth of knowledge of how they had seen other homeowners benefit from fixing cold home problems. Best of all, by the end of the survey, we felt genuinely empowered to actually do something about the cold and draughty spots we had directly seen on and set to making a whole list of easy DIY fixes.
  
  Thanks to Chris and Rob for fun and informative survey." - Richard and Caroline, Bedminster.

• "I feel I have learnt just as much from cheese survey as i could have done if I paid double the price for a big company - really good value for money! Already recommended to neighbours and friends."

• "I loved having the survey. Rob and Julius were so friendly and made the information really interesting, they are both clearly very knowledgeable and passionate about their subject. There were some eye opening moments where we discovered draughts on places I didn't expect and Rob gave tips on easy fixes we could make. It's been a brilliant experience overall. Thank you!"

• "She really enjoyed the survey - more than she expected to!" (referring to a grandmother).

• "Have been round all the rooms with caulks, silicone sealants of various kinds and insulation to fill all gaps and plug drafts where possible. Draught excluders have been installed on some internal doors as well as some foam strips to better seal them when closed. Have done the work myself. Big difference in the kitchen especially. Certainly much more aware of draughts than before and will tackle them immediately. 5/5"

• "The survey allowed us to go to a different firm who were able to advise us on what could be done, based on the thermal survey. Would be quite useful in a way to have the thermal survey done again now to see if the work has made a decent difference!"

• "We found the energy tracers very passionate and knowledgeable and would certainly recommend this survey to others. Many thanks!"

• "Great to get an understanding of how I can improve my home as well as others. Great knowledge by the team as well."

• "We knew about a lot of the issues but seeing it visually has inspired us to actually DO something about them!"

• "Survey gives me a sense of relief that I can fix some problems. Keep doing what you do. 5/5"

• "The energy tracers were both great and worked efficiently through the house. Their knowledge prompted some useful discussions about actions to be taken as well as about possible solar options."

From the 2018/19 surveying season (phase 4)

• "Boycee and Trisha were lovely and the thermal imaging experience was fascinating. Turns out I have draughts coming through my electrical sockets! And that my sash windows have developed gaps that I hadn't noticed. I had those windows refurbed only recently so they're probably still under warranty, so that's hugely useful info. In fact, the whole thing was brilliant and I'm going to replay the recording and make an action list. Can't recommend this highly enough."

• "CHEESE is the single most useful intervention I have had in my home since I began doing improvements when I first bought a house." (Bristol Green Doors participant)

• "It was great, I really enjoyed the process and I will be showing the video on a continuous loop during the doors open weekend." (Bristol Green Doors participant)

• "The CHEESE survey has made us much more aware of the energy we're using. The surveyors were fantastic; knowledgeable, thorough, and gave practical and achievable advice. In fact, a lot of the suggestions made to improve the efficiency of our home were either very cheap or free. A video is provided to you of the entire survey which we found useful to refer back to. We were also provided with various pieces of equipment for a month to help us track and understand our energy use."

• "Thank you for the heat loss survey - it was both interesting and eye opening, and the information and experience shared by Richard and Steve was very helpful. Being in a rental there's a limit to what I can do, so having some help prioritising was invaluable. I've blocked some of the gaps in the ceiling and floorboards already. Thanks to Maddy for arranging so quickly and seamlessly too. The monitors are very useful and I'm mid way through the book cover to cover having dipped in and out of it after Richard and Steve had left on Friday. I will complete the survey in the month and will stay in touch to let you know of the savings and warmth that I achieve in the next year."

• "Richard and Kirk did the survey today. I learnt a lot. Very well worth doing even in a 18 year old house!! They showed me all the cold spots and leaks and some are really important to fix. Draughts behind plasterboard and inslulation cold spots. Recommended!"

• "I would highly recommend having a survey done by The CHEESE Project. It is so interesting and incredibly useful if you want to locate all those hidden draughts, warm up your home and reduce your heating costs. The surveyor was very friendly and patiently spent hours identifying all the heat loss spots in our house, and even provided us with a video of the survey, plus a list of easy remedies for us to carry out. 10/10 from me!"

• "Found all useful. Identified exactly where we could make improvements. Also surveyors enthusiasm was infectious. Nice to not heat the outside of the property & hopefully save money on fuel usage. Peace of mind that mum(93) is as warm as she can be."

• "Thanks for a great service. Its an amazing eye-opener. I’m supposed to know about this stuff but you have pointed out lots of improvements I can make."

From the 2017/18 surveying season (phase 3)

• "The survey itself was great and the surveyors clearly have a lot of knowledge. The fact that the homeowner and tenant go around and look at all the areas of the home is really valuable in having an understanding of the recommendations rather than just a written or verbal report."

• "I loved the enthusiasm and commitment all the volunteers demonstrated when they visited the house. I really appreciate people being willing to do this in their own time. Found it interesting and educational."

• "I think this is a great project and an opportunity for everyone to look at the ways to reduce their energy costs."

• "Excellent survey, very nice people, thanks so much."

• "The survey was carried out in a very professional manner with everything being explained clearly."

• "Many thanks, was glad to be a part of this process. Efficient and whole project done in good spirit. The survey has made me more aware of drafts and meant that we used room space more efficiently during colder weather. It was both reassuring and somewhat alarming to hear that our energy consumption levels were way below the national average. This project feels like a step in the right direction to awareness of our natural surroundings/better use of resources."

• "I found the survey helpful and seeing the tablet images helped to follow the issues the surveyors were talking about."

• "The team were very informative and highly skilled."

• "It was very interesting to see the presence of draughts that I was not at all aware of, and cheering that the draught-proofing solution is relatively inexpensive and has a large impact."

• "I was very happy with every aspect of the survey, especially the helpfulness of the people who conducted it."

• "Really good value for money for the survey and then left with monitoring equipment to make changes in own time."

• "Really helpful and imformative. Was very surprised by some of the results."

• "The two surveyors did a very thorough and detailed survey of my home, it was great to be able to follow them with an iPad to see real time all the various cold spots, many not where I had imagined, heat loss was not through the ceiling into the loft but in many other small places that could easily be fixed."

• "An excellent, value for money survey which really helped us to understand which bits of our home were leaking energy."

• "From the outset everyone involved with the survey was friendly polite and helpful. All instructions were clear and easy to follow and the recommendations were mostly low cost and easy for me to carry out myself. I very much appreciated the fact that the surveyors did some additional research re the vent and sent it after the survey was complete. Survey video was brilliant for pinpointing exactly where I had to refit loft insulation. The entire process is fascinating and informative and really helps you understand the true energy efficiency of your home. I would highly recommend this survey."

• "The survey felt rigorous and a robust test of the house's thermal performance. The surveyor was professional and knowledgeable."

• "The guys that came round were really friendly and approachable and a pleasure to have in my home. I would highly recommend the project."

• "The organisation was good, the survey was great with friendly enthusiastic surveyors and no problems, and even the box collection has been easy and enjoyable."

From the 2016/17 surveying season (phase 2)

• "A really valuable service, represented excellent value for money. The friendly, very helpful surveyors suggested simple remedies that will make a big, positive impact on the warmth of our house. A massive thank you to all involved."

• "I just wanted to say how BRILLIANT the Cheese Survey experience was!"

• "Jamie and Boycee made a fantastic team - they were polite, great at listening, helpful and interesting in a perfect balance."

• "I got so much out of it. I have already started sealing gaps and stuffing holes under skirting boards - I swear its warmer already! I think it might be a bit addictive ....funny there are little holes everywhere I never saw before! Please pass on my thanks to them - it was inspiring. I will spread the word."

• "It was really excellent and revelatory!"

• "The energy tracers were very professional and polite. The memory stick is very useful to keep looking back on and checking what happened on the day and being able to refer back to as you don't take everything in at the time. The cheese box gave me some good information and lots of practical advice in the book."

• "Excellent. I am stunned that I had never thought about how big an effect draughts could have on heat loss."

• "Many more thanks for the visit that you and Salvador made and all advice given. I found the survey incredibly informative and your suggestions for simple, easily applied improvements were exactly what I wanted and need!"

• The householder gave the survey "10/10" and that if it hadn't been done she "wouldn't know where the money is going".

• "I thought the whole organisation of the survey was well done, and the Energy Tracers efficient and friendly. I particularly appreciated the opportunity to see what was being discovered on the tablet as it was happening."

• "The survey was well worth the money and very interesting. – It was fun!"

• "Very good to see heat loss with tenants, which helped raise energy awareness with tenants, which was an important aspect for [our Housing Association]."

• Although the householder was initially sceptical about the value of the survey, they commented that it "added loads - things never seen before and the amount of time the surveyors spent meant it represented good value and would recommend it to others.

• "I'm so happy with what you did, you should do it to everyone, especially when people are buying houses". The experience of seeing the thermal images was "mind boggling", "it says it all", "it opens your eyes to everything". The householder has lived in the house for 15 years but didn't understand/know about any of the faults until he had the survey. He has now sent the CHEESE survey video to send to the council as evidence of the issues he has. He said that CHEESE surveys should be extended to survey all houses in Bristol!

• "Really happy the survey happened. The video is great, with lots of practical/DIY tips rather than just recommendations for contractors to do improvements."

• "Great and incredibly cheap." He thought the survey was "Phenomenal". It was recommended to him and he would recommend it to others.

• "Perfect really. the two guys that came were brilliant and very helpful."

• "The most striking aspect of the survey for me was the focus on cold draughts, which is probably not what most people first think of, but is also probably easiest to do something about."

• "I think this is a particularly positive message as the kind of things that usually come to mind are big and potentially daunting projects like getting double glazing or insulation of some kind."

• "Energy Tracers marvellous and professional. Result of survey interesting. lots of small niggles to solve."

• "Can't thank you enough for your time and efforts. Very friendly, professional and courteous tracers. Providing a great service to minimise wasted energy and improve home warmth."

• "Surveyors were absolutely lovely. Survey was great. Overall really grateful and enjoyed the survey".

From the 2015/16 surveying season (phase 1)

• From someone who struggled to heat her home to a comfortable temperature: "A real eye-opener. Excellent! I found I could do everything for about £150 and got to work straight away."

• "There were still places where draughts were coming in and heat leaking out that I would never have thought of."

• "We were very pleased with the results of the survey and found the process very interesting.  We have found the results of the electricity smart reader useful too and I'm much more conscious now about turning off lights, sockets etc!"

• “Measures [sealing round skirting boards in kitchen and lounge, blocking chimney draught, lagging pipes in cellar] have reduced monthly electricity bill by £15.”

• From two people who had already made some insulation improvements: "Thank you very much for laying on Brian, Dave and Matt today. Very instructive, some draught proofing and the like to work on but generally very encouraging for us."