Project CU Greener Homes by Matrix Internet

The Brief

It’s never been more important to think about our environmental impact, so when we got the green light for this project we jumped at the chance. House2Home, Energia and the Irish League of Credit Unions approached us to be part of their revolutionary retrofit programme for improving the energy efficiency of Irish homes, and it’s all starting to add up with our Greener Homes retrofit BER calculator.

The innovative project involved developing a custom cloud-based calculator to help homeowners determine their home’s energy efficiency and find ways to reduce their household emissions. This in turn helps these customers choose a suitable retrofit upgrade, estimate the costs involved, the grants available and financing from their local credit union.

A seamless and simple user experience (UX) was essential for this delivery. After a comprehensive UX discovery workshop with all key stakeholders, we developed a complex bespoke online calculator with a smooth user workflow and an administration panel for system admins. We then embedded the BER calculator in a vibrant, custom-designed website development with informative content, important statistics and step-by-step guides. This brochure website is also a powerful marketing tool to promote the Greener Homes brand.

Our BER calculator, step by step:

Collects basic information about a user’s home;
Provides relevant information to help users choose between a wide array of retrofit upgrades;
Displays the expected uplift of their BER rating, the cost of the project and the different grants available;
Allows users to fine-tune their selections;
Facilitates selection of a participating credit union for financing;
Confirms all selections via email;
Informs all service providers about the submission.

Users are empowered to assess their carbon footprint and decide whether they would like to take action. The calculator guides the user through each stage, highlighting the cost and impact on their emissions, guaranteeing a transparent and informative user journey. We’re proud to be part of a project that’s asking people to rethink and reimagine their impact on the world.

Website

Visit the Website

Key Features

01
Complex functionality offset by calculator’s simple-to-follow UX;
02
Brochure website to build brand awareness and provide users with useful information and terms & conditions;
03
Administration dashboard for admins to view key performance statistics and advanced analytical data;
04
Data flow into the calculator to push relevant information to all partners (Energia, credit unions and House2Home);
05
System fully secure and GDPR-compliant.

Goals

Develop a simple to use system to help homeowners assess the energy efficiency of their home and make informed retrofit decisions.

Collect relevant data and return accurate and informative ratings and next-step advice to users;
Promote the Greener Homes brand through a well-designed website;
Ensure all stakeholders are connected and integrated within the system.

Process

Powerful back end complexity made simple by UX-led design thinking methodology on screen.

Detailed UX discovery process to make sure ease of use is balanced with complex functionality;
UI (User Interface) design with multiple phases;
Complex mathematical formulas developed within the platform to quickly and accurately calculate green energy related projections;
QA process and live launch;
After-live proactive support.

Results

Making a difference through on-point messaging and user-friendly functionality.

Positive, straightforward path towards retrofit home upgrades;
Increased lead generation — significant interest in the scheme reported by credit unions, Energia and House2Home;
Through the brochure site, a unified message from all three key stakeholders about the importance of energy efficiency, and collective, progressive change.