A DRUMCHAPEL man says he has more than HALVED his energy bills thanks to being part of a million-pound retrofit of homes in his street.

Iain Halliday has lived in the area his whole life but moved into Linkwood Avenue in 2011.

The 69-year-old says he inherited the challenges that come with living in an older home, the Linkwood homes built in the 1950s.

However, Mr Halliday insists his future living is looking brighter after he and his neighbours were part of a £1.7 million whole house retrofit by energy services company Union Technical.

The utility supplier has fitted solar panels and an air source heat pump, as well as fully insulating the property and installing new windows throughout and the homeowner admits he couldn't be happier.

He said: “The work Union Technical has done has just been amazing.

“Before all the work started, I was spending £36 a week on my fuel bills, and that’s now down to around £12-£14 a week.

"I’m easily saving £50 every month, because the house just keeps heat in now, like it never did before.

“I’ve got a smart heating control panel now, which I can just set to 20C and it keeps the temperature consistent day and night.”

Helping tenants like Mr Halliday make substantial savings on their energy bills is a founding principle for Glasgow-based Union Technical.

The business was established by Owen Coyle and Michael Sweeney in 2013, who recognised a gap in the market for an all-encompassing service to make energy-efficiency renovations.

Linkwood Avenue is the first smarter homes project for Union Technical, which aims to provide whole house retrofits that prioritise the needs of homeowners, tenants, local authorities and social and private landlords throughout the UK.

Chris Cogan, head of construction at Union Technical, has been overseeing the initiative.

Chris said: “Social responsibility is key for us.

"We don’t want to knock down and rebuild, as has been the case throughout so much of Glasgow, not least Drumchapel.

"The smarter homes project is focused on carrying out meaningful work which brings real benefits to the community and helps to provide homes which are safe, warm and comfortable.”

Suzanne Coyle, director at Union Technical, added: “The completion of such a major project in our home city is a significant milestone for us.

"Our team has been working tirelessly in recent weeks to ensure all installs are completed to the same high standards we would expect in our own homes, and we’re so pleased to see first-hand the benefits that our work is already bringing to residents like Mr Halliday.”

Mr Halliday is in full agreement.

“The guys from Union Technical who were working on the install have all been great," he added.

"My home was one of the first to be completed, and it only took five weeks from start to finish. No mess, no hassle and it was all very quick.

“In fact,” he added, “the main worry I had was keeping an eye on my wee dog Ozzie, to make sure he didn’t escape out the door while all the work was going on!”