As a cutting-edge eco house training facility opens in Wiltshire, we explore how to transform your home into a sustainable haven – and what it might cost
When engineers first stepped inside the unremarkable, two-storey 1920s home on Wiltshire College’s campus, it looked nothing like an ecohome. “It was in a big state of disrepair,” recalls Max Waddingham, Good Energy’s operations director. “It was covered in mould, the floors were falling through. It was absolutely trashed.”
Today, the three-bedroom property couldn’t look more different. The building is surrounded by sweet chestnut trees and an expansive lawn and the inside is just as green. The ancient oil boiler has been swapped for an air-source heat pump, while loft, floor and wall insulation have been fitted, along with underfloor heating. The old windows have been replaced with thermally efficient double glazing, designed to be as airtight as possible.
The house will be used to train the eco-engineers of the future – both those working for the renewable energy supplier Good Energy and apprentices at Wiltshire College. For Waddingham, it’s also about inspiration. “You have this kind of showpiece, if you like: here’s what you can do with a 1920s property,” he says. “Once you see the condition of the house before renovations, you can be sure that any home can be brought right up to date with the correct strategy.”
So, how can we improve our own homes with an eye on the climate, even on a tight budget?
1. Block draughts to lower your heating demand
For Waddingham, the cheapest options for draught-proofing revolve around lowering your heating demand. “This means the more your house is insulated, the less energy you have to put in to keep it warm because you’re leaking less into the atmosphere,” he explains.
These cost-effective changes can be done yourself, Waddingham stresses. Applying draught-excluder strips to windows, fixing brushes on letterboxes, or filling in cracks in walls cost around £10 each for the materials. Alternatively, you can hire a professional draught-proofer, which should cost around £250 a house.
The 1920s property at Wiltshire College’s campus will be used to train the eco-engineers of the future. Image: Good Energy
2. Embrace soap nuts to reuse wastewater
Cherish Jackson, sustainability manager at Good Energy, is passionate about sharing the message that changes don’t need to be expensive. After moving into a tiny house this year, she was struck by how much water is wasted in a typical property.
A front-loading washing machine uses an average of 50 litres of water. In addition, she explains: “The water is then contaminated with chemicals from the laundry detergent.” So, instead, Jackson made the switch to soap nuts, the dried husks of soapberries, which are part of the lychee family. They form soap bubbles naturally and have antibacterial properties. Typically, a bag of 100 costs less than £10.
Using them instead of a regular laundry product means that the resultant waste water can be collected into a waste tank and used to water your houseplants, lawn or vegetables. “That’s 50 litres of water that you can reuse in your garden,” Jackson notes.
On average, you’ll save just under 50p per wash, as well as cutting back on your carbon footprint and easing stress on the water supply.
Cherish Jackson, sustainability manager at Good Energy. Image: Good Energy
3. DIY loft insulation to stop heat leaking upwards
While there are myriad ways to insulate your home, Waddingham notes that loft insulation often offers the biggest bang for one’s buck, assuming you own your own house or have permission from a landlord. “It’s by far and away the cheapest way to insulate your property and it will give you a great return on investment, because heat rises. If your roof doesn’t have insulation it’s just going to leak out.
“It doesn’t really matter what house type you have, you can just go to a DIY shop yourself and buy rolls of [stone wool insulation], putting them down like a big blanket in your loft.”
Prices start at about £10 per metre square and can save you up to £340 a year.
4. Lower your heating’s flow temperature
You may be able to make savings on energy by lowering the flow temperature of your heating system. “We’re talking the temperature of the water in the radiators here,” Waddingham clarifies, “not the temperature of the house.”
Your flow temperature might be 60ºC or 70ºC, but could be as low as 50ºC whilst still maintaining your home’s ambient temperature, saving energy and money. If you have larger radiators, this will make it easier for your system to work at lower flow temperatures.
Heat and solar work fantastically well together. Your reliance on fossil fuels and carbon really do diminish with that whole home approach
5. Charge electric cars overnight
For those with electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids, a home charger can be a cost-effective eco-move, especially when paired with an overnight tariff.
Charger installations cost around £1,300, while Good Energy offers a 100% renewable energy rate of 6.75p/kW between 12am and 5am. In contrast, the price cap rises to 24.50p/kWh in October.
Harry Johnson, Good Energy’s head of sales, says the setup can be even more eco-friendly when teamed with a domestic solar supply. “You’re using the energy you’re producing yourself and directing that straight into your car. In eco-mode, the EV charger is quite intuitive in terms of when it will start charging. It might be that when the dishwasher turns off, the EV charger will just kick in.”
6. Make use of solar and batteries in systems that fit your lifestyle
A standard set of solar panels for an average three-bedroom house will cost an average of £6,000, rising to £14,000 when accompanied by a battery.
What set up works for you will depend on your lifestyle, says Johnson. For example, you’ll need to consider your current consumption and whether it might increase, whether you work from home, or if you have a heat pump. “With those kinds of answers, we’d come back to you with an honest answer in terms of whether a battery is required or not.”
In terms of payback, he notes: “All houses are different. It depends on orientation, on location, and it also depends on shade, but from our side, we’ll be trying to work to the [idea that] the customer is paid within six years.”
An expert fits the air-source heat pump system at the eco house training facility at Wiltshire College. Image: Good Energy
7. Invest in an air-source heat pump to increase energy efficiency
“Heat and solar work fantastically well together,” says Johnson. “Your reliance on fossil fuels and carbon really do diminish with that whole home approach.”
A standard air-source heat pump now offers an efficiency of up to 400%, meaning you could get back four times more energy than you put in. In comparison, a modern gas boiler loses around 8% of the energy you put in to make heat.
In total, the installation usually costs about £14,000, but the UK government offers grants of £7,500 to offset costs. Depending on what kind of heating system you’re upgrading, it could save you up to £1,000 a year.
Main image: mapodile
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