This success story is part of a series published within the MAKING-CITY project. The series aims to showcase the experiences of key stakeholders within the project. This story explores how Lublin achieves sustainability in its public transportation. It features an interview with the Groningen residents Jannes and Lisetthe.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
We are Jannes and Lisetthe. We have lived in our 1966 house in the Grote Beerstraat in the Paddepoel district in Groningen for almost 14 years now. We live here with our four kids. This house is our home. We collected a lot of beautiful memories whilst living here. We got married, our four kids were born, Jannes built a successful carpentry business and so on. We found our home via a small advertisement in the newspaper. The last residents bought the former social rent house from Lefier, the local housing corporation, and they were about to move. This gave us the chance to buy the house. It was a challenge to get a mortgage at the time, since Jannes just started out as a self-employed handyman. 14 years later, we transformed the 60s townhouse into a sustainable home now.
WHEN AND HOW DID YOU FIRST LEARN ABOUT POSITIVE ENERGY DISTRICTS?
We got a letter in the mailbox about the MAKING-CITY project. It said there was space in the project for another demo house in our neighborhood. We had a conversation and then learned about positive energy districts and how MAKING-CITY is working on PED’s.
WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED IN THE MAKING-CITY PROJECT?
When we got the letter from the MAKING-CITY project that they were looking for a fourth demo house, we were already retrofitting our home to be more sustainable. This was an interesting next step to learn about the possibilities in our case. After two conversations we knew we were going to take part in the project. So in the summer of 2021 we officially became the fourth demo house!
WHAT HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE LIVING IN A DEMO HOUSE BEEN LIKE?
There were not many moments that people came to visit, so we did not really feel that we were living in a demo house. The few times we had visitors, were nice and educational. We went to see the other demo houses here in Groningen and they came to visit our house. Once, a delegation from Europe came. We then learned that we are far ahead of other European cities when it comes to sustainability. It is great to be a testing ground and share lessons learned with others. The feeling that this is something bigger than yourself is good. By being a demo house, we learned that there are so many parties busy with sustainability. We did not know that before, but it is definitely necessary.
HOW HAS THE RETROFITTING OF YOUR HOME IMPACTED YOUR LIFE?
Honestly, the renovation was very turbulent and a big happening. There were of course several hiccups. It took longer than planned and we had to live in the attic with our four young kids. It was a lot. Normally you do big renovations like underfloor heating when you buy a house, but we were already living here for years. We thought it would be less hectic than it actually was. But when the renovation progressed we noticed very quickly how nice and comfortable it felt in our house. The quality of living here has improved enormously. This year we will also become officially all-electric. Then everything is done. We are very much looking forward to that!
DURING YOUR EXPERIENCE, WHAT DID YOU BENEFIT FROM THE MOST?
Like we said in the previous question, the pleasure of living here has improved. Before it was moist and draughty and we even had slugs in our house. Now the climate inside is great. We also profit big time from the separation of systems for warm tapwater and heating. We safe a great amount of water, because it is warm in an instant and we do not have to leave the tap or shower running to get warm water. Finally, our solar panels give a great return. We would say we benefit the most from everything together. We took big measurements, but now notice that we also have great benefits from the small things, like the warm water.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO OTHERS CONSIDERING RETROFITTING THEIR HOMES?
Don’t try this at home (Ha ha)! No, just kidding. We would advise everyone who wants to retrofit their home to really know what you are about to start. Ask professionals and people who already did it for advice and about their experience. Read about the systems and ask the right questions. Think about what it means for your own living situation when you want to do big renovations. Go live somewhere else for the time being if possible. Or, if you buy a house, try to do it immediately. That will save you loads of stress later. But still, we are very happy we did it!
Caught your interest? Explore more success stories of our demo residents in our Dutch Magazine.
