Energy advice calls before a home renovation
Insulation, heating, ventilation and the order of works: how energy advisers run short advice calls that help homeowners plan a renovation before they commit.
5 min read
An advice call before a renovation helps a homeowner get the order of works right while plans can still change. In thirty to sixty minutes you can understand the house, the budget and the timeline, explain why the building fabric comes before the heating system, and point out what to ask builders and installers. Ask for documents before the call, keep notes as you talk, and send a short written summary with the next steps, including a home visit when the house needs to be seen.
What to ask for before the call
- Energy bills for a full year, gas, oil or wood included.
- Any energy performance certificate or previous survey of the house.
- Photos: the outside of the house, the loft, the boiler and the windows.
- The renovation plan: what is planned, roughly when, and the budget range.
- Comfort problems: cold rooms, damp, condensation, overheating in summer.
Structuring the call
- The house: age, construction, what has already been done.
- The project: what the homeowner wants to change and why, from comfort to bills to resale.
- The order of works: roof and walls, windows and airtightness, ventilation, then heating and renewables.
- Risks: damp from insulating without ventilation, an oversized heating system, works that will have to be undone later.
- Next steps: what to ask each tradesperson and what to decide first.
Why the order matters
A heat pump or a new boiler sized for a poorly insulated house will be too large once the walls and roof are done. Scaffolding put up for a roof can also serve wall insulation or solar panels if the works are planned together. Explaining these links is where an advice call saves the homeowner money, without you needing to quote any figures.
Staying within what a call can do
A call cannot replace a survey. Be clear when something needs to be seen: signs of damp, the condition of a roof, or the space for a heat pump outdoor unit. Rules and support schemes change, so point the homeowner to the official sources for their area rather than promising amounts.
When works have already started
Some homeowners call when the builder is already on site. The call is still useful, but shorter and more practical: what can still change, what must be checked before walls are closed or the roof is covered, and which decisions can wait. Ask what has been signed and what is still open, and focus on those points. Flag anything that would be expensive to undo, such as insulation fitted without a vapour control layer where one is needed.
After the call
Send a short summary the same day or the next: what you understood, the order of works you suggest, the questions for each tradesperson and what to check before signing. If a home visit is needed, say why and offer a slot. Keep your notes, because the homeowner may call back months later when the first works are done.
Phone or video
A video call lets the homeowner show you the loft, the boiler or a damp corner as you talk. If you use video, send the link by email once the booking arrives, and say in the service description which tool you use.
Booking advice calls with Book
On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. Create a "Renovation advice call" service, list in the description the documents to prepare, and publish short slots that repeat weekly, including some early evening ones for homeowners who work during the day. Each slot belongs to one service and sits within a single day, and with one place per slot a booked call no longer appears on your public page. Homeowners book with their name, email and phone and can describe their project in the optional note, which you read in your new-booking email. Add a home visit service for projects that need one, and book it for the homeowner yourself from your calendar after the call.
| Service | Example slot | Example price |
|---|---|---|
| Renovation advice call | 45 min | €60 |
| Follow-up call | 30 min | €40 |
| Home energy visit | 2h | €180 |
| Written summary | Included | €0 |
Durations and prices are examples: set your own. If a call has to move, change it from your bookings list and tell the homeowner yourself, as Book does not email clients when a booking is rescheduled or cancelled. Book costs €5/month, all-inclusive: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no commitment.