Teifi - Llandyssil 28th & 29th October

The home:

Detached brick built bungalow 1984 with extensions 1995 & 2017

 

Motivations:

My motivation is because I wanted to do what I could to reduce the carbon footprint of my home and I was very fortunate to have enough money to do a thorough job. We do not have gas and we use only a very very small amount of wood.

Modifications:

The building had a total renovation 2016/7. Existing floors (concrete screed) were removed and 100mm insulation was laid across the whole area. We incorporated the garage into the house and building a south facing extension on the rear. These new areas had 150mm of underfloor insulation. Above the insulation underfloor heating pipes were laid and the whole was covered with a new screed. The heating has 8 separate thermostatically controlled circuits. 

The rear extension has extensive glazing to facilitate the maximum amount of passive solar gain. The building in now almost square and 160 square metres external area. The original brickwork had the internal cavities filled and was externally clad with 100mm of insulation. The loft has 30/40mm of insulation. 

The building is serviced with a 8kw air source heat pump. The lounge has a small wood burner (with a chimney in the centre of the building) as a focal point but it is rarely used. There is no gas.

The ridge of the slate roof runs almost north/south. 4KW of solar edge PV was fitted to the eastern facing section (orientation N100 degrees) in 2017. It has functioned reasonably well even though it has some shading. It includes a solar boost which puts surplus electricity into the immersion heater. In 2021 we decided to add another 3.85KW of PV to the western facing roof, together with 3.5KW battery. 

 

Approximate costs:

Heat pump and associated plumbing £11.3k; Initial PV £5.8k; External wall cladding £7.5k. 2nd PV installation £6.2k 

 

Approximate energy savings:

"We now have a smart meter and we are watching the consumption closely. To date results are very encouraging".

 

Benefits:

Total self-sufficiency

 

Who did the work?

Heat pump and 1st PV: Dyfrig Jones Electrical Oswestry

Wall cladding: Dan Jenkins: Hi- Spec Wall Coating 

2nd PV installation: Chris Sycamore: Eco Renewables Group