Trish's Victorian flat in Stoke was upgraded as part of the 2015 energy efficiency drive when energy-saving measures were retrofitted to a majority of the existing UK housing stock.

The house already had good loft insulation, but the upgrade added to its thermal efficiency with cavity wall insulation and double-glazing that fitted in with the look of the property.

Superficially it now looks pretty much the same as it did for the previous century and a half, but in operation it's worlds apart. About the only noticeable external change to the property (apart from the solar water panels on the back roof) are the Shop&Drops for each flat built into the front of the house.

As is the case for all truly great lifestyle-enhancing technology, Trish often wonders how they ever did without it. The ability to order goods and not have to worry about arranging delivery times is a bonus for her busy family.

Inside the flat, the refurbishment is more obvious. The architectural period features she likes so much remain, but here they sit in pleasing juxtaposition to the modernity of the new fixtures and fittings. The lighting is, of course, low energy and infinitely variable - altering in location and intensity in response to the needs of the inhabitants.

Now, as Trish moves from the kitchen to the bathroom, the lights go on and off in response to her presence, preferences, activities and the ambient environmental conditions. She could easily disable this system if she wanted to, but while she's rushing around it�s great to not have to give a single thought to it.

The heating system is similarly intelligent and, like all power or fuel-consuming activities in the home, is linked to their Electric domestic. This monitors not just the overall energy use in the home, but also the consumption of each appliance - alerting them when they are operating anomalously or when they should be off.

This last, Trish acknowledges, is especially useful when it comes to her son who seems to have a pathological dislike of ever turning anything off himself - she's now given up the running battle with him and simply gets the Electric Domestic to turn appliances off instead.

It's proved invaluable for the cat as well who would be somewhat slimmer if it weren't for the ability to control the house appliances - like the feeder- remotely with the Electric Domestic (maybe when you suddenly remember whilst at the cinema, for instance).

The system ensures that wasted energy is minimised and keeps running costs down - good for them, but also good for their energy services supplier. A few years ago, the household entered into a service agreement with PowerHome Inc. to buy comfort and ambience rather than units of fuel or electricity.

In exchange for their 5-year commitment, the supplier installed the electric domestic and the solar water heating for free and charges a fixed cost for their services which is almost 40% lower than what they were paying before.

Since it is now in their interests to keep the family energy consumption as low as possible, the Electric Domestic also sends them basic data and will alert them if a serious problem occurs. It's never happened to Trish yet, but when the flat above�s old boiler died, the supplier had a new one installed within a matter of hours.