THE BRIEF

As part of Treefrog's wider work for Home Energy Hub Norfolk, we were tasked with capturing a series of real homeowner stories that could make renewable energy and home efficiency improvements easier for residents to understand.

Gareth's home in Winterton offered a particularly useful story.

Over a number of years, he had gradually reduced his reliance on oil by investing in solar panels, an air source heat pump and battery storage. Rather than completing everything at once, Gareth had built his renewable energy system in stages, learning how the different technologies could work together and adapting how he used energy within his home.

For our production team, this presented an opportunity to create a case study video that went beyond simply showcasing the equipment.

We wanted to capture Gareth's first-hand experience of living with renewable technologies, including the practical changes involved, what he had learned and the impact the improvements had made to his energy bills.

As an electrical engineer, Gareth also had a strong technical understanding of his system. Our challenge was therefore to capture that knowledge while translating it into an engaging homeowner story that remained relevant and accessible to a much broader audience.

OUR APPROACH

One of the objectives behind the Home Energy Hub Norfolk video campaign was to ensure each resident case study brought something different to the wider content library.

Gareth's story gave us an opportunity to explore the idea that improving the energy efficiency of a home doesn't necessarily have to happen as one major project.

His journey began with solar panels installed around a decade ago. After experiencing the benefits, he subsequently introduced an air source heat pump before expanding the solar array and adding battery storage.

We therefore developed the interview around that progression.

Ahead of filming, we planned questions that would encourage Gareth to explain why he made each decision, how the technologies work together and what he had learned from using them in everyday life.

Importantly, we also wanted to explore some of the realities that can be overlooked when renewable technologies are discussed.

Moving from oil heating to an air source heat pump, for example, required Gareth to think differently about how he heated his home. Battery storage and a time-of-use electricity tariff also meant thinking more carefully about when electricity was purchased, stored and consumed.

By exploring these details through Gareth's own experience, we could produce a film that was informative without becoming a technical explainer.

The technology provided the subject matter, but Gareth's experience remained the story.

THE PRODUCTION

Our team travelled to Gareth's home in Winterton to carry out the filming on location.

Before production began, we spent time with Gareth discussing the purpose of the case study, explaining how the interview would work and talking through the footage we wanted to capture during the visit.

Once the appropriate permissions and documentation were completed, we assessed the property and selected an appropriate setting for the main interview.

Filming inside a resident's home requires a different approach from working within a controlled studio environment. Lighting conditions, available space, acoustics and the layout of the property all need to be considered while ensuring the homeowner remains comfortable in their own space.

After setting the interview shot, we guided Gareth through the questions developed during pre-production.

His engineering background allowed us to explore the technologies in useful detail, but our interview style focused on encouraging conversational explanations rather than highly technical answers. This helped us capture information that would be useful to homeowners who may only just be starting to explore renewable energy.

Once the interview was complete, we moved around the property to capture supporting footage of Gareth's energy system.

This included footage of the solar installation, air source heat pump, battery storage and relevant elements around the home, alongside wider property shots that established the residential setting.

We also captured Gareth interacting naturally with the technology where appropriate, giving the edit a mixture of technical detail and human context.

For a case study like this, B-roll plays an important role in helping viewers connect what they are hearing with something tangible. When Gareth discusses battery storage or changing how his home is heated, viewers can simultaneously see the equipment being used in a real Norfolk property.

POST-PRODUCTION & STORYTELLING

With filming completed, our post-production team reviewed the interview and supporting footage to identify the strongest narrative for the finished video.

Rather than structuring the edit as a list of technologies, we built the story around Gareth's gradual transition towards a more efficient and sustainable home.

This provided the film with a natural progression: beginning with his original interest in renewable energy, moving through the different improvements he introduced and ultimately showing how the complete system performs today.

Particular attention was given to simplifying the more technical elements of Gareth's interview without losing the value of his knowledge.

Subjects such as time-of-use tariffs, battery charging and the different operating characteristics of an air source heat pump can quickly become complicated. The edit therefore focused on the practical impact of these decisions and what Gareth had experienced as a homeowner.

Supporting footage was used throughout to visually reinforce the conversation and maintain pace, while branded titles and graphics ensured the finished film remained consistent with the wider Home Energy Hub Norfolk identity.

As part of the wider stakeholder-led project, the draft video then went through the agreed review and amendment process. Feedback was collated, revisions were implemented and the film was refined through the necessary version stages before receiving final approval.

THE OUTCOME

The completed video provides Home Energy Hub Norfolk with a genuine homeowner perspective on combining solar energy, battery storage and low-carbon heating.

Importantly, Gareth's story doesn't present renewable energy as an overnight transformation.

Instead, it demonstrates how improvements can be introduced progressively, with each stage building upon the last. That makes his experience particularly relevant to homeowners who may be interested in reducing their energy consumption but aren't in a position to undertake multiple improvements simultaneously.

The financial impact also gives the story a clear, tangible outcome.

By combining solar generation with battery storage and changing how he purchases and uses electricity, Gareth has significantly reduced his household energy costs. During the warmer months, his solar panels can generate much of the electricity the property requires, with excess generation able to be exported back to the grid.

The air source heat pump has also enabled the property to move away from oil heating, further reducing its reliance on fossil fuels.

From a video production perspective, the finished film demonstrates the value of using authentic customer and resident stories to communicate subjects that might otherwise feel complicated or inaccessible.

Rather than Treefrog or the project team telling residents what renewable technologies can achieve, the audience can hear directly from someone who has invested in them, lived with them and learned how to get the most from them.

Gareth's film became part of the nine-video resident case study series produced by Treefrog, alongside the hero content, technology explainers and specialist interviews created for the wider Home Energy Hub Norfolk campaign.

Together, these videos created a reusable library of content that could be embedded throughout the website, published through YouTube and used to support the project's wider communications.

DELIVERABLES

• Resident renewable energy case study video

• Pre-production research and planning

• Interview strategy and question development

• Resident liaison and production coordination

• On-location filming in Winterton

• Homeowner interview

• Solar PV footage

• Air source heat pump footage

• Battery storage footage

• Property and lifestyle B-roll

• Supporting photography

• Professional video editing and post-production

• Branded titles and visual assets

• Stakeholder review and amendment stages

• Final video delivery

• YouTube publishing and website integration

THE VALUE OF CASE STUDY VIDEOS

Technical products and services can be difficult to communicate through specifications alone.

Case study videos provide an opportunity to show those products in the real world while allowing the people who actually use them to explain their experience.

For organisations working within renewable energy, sustainability, technology or the public sector, this can be particularly powerful. A well-produced customer story can combine education with genuine social proof, helping an audience understand not only what a solution does, but what it's actually like to live or work with.

At Treefrog, we manage the complete case study video production process, from developing the story and preparing interview questions through to coordinating contributors, filming on location, capturing supporting footage and producing the final edit.

Whether you need to demonstrate renewable technology, communicate the impact of a public sector programme or showcase the results you've achieved for your customers, we can help you find the story behind the project and turn it into video content that people can understand, trust and remember.

Contact Treefrog to discuss your next video production project.

Or explore our video production work to see how we help organisations tell complex stories through engaging, professionally produced video.