For the first few weeks after our move out of our old home our furniture was in storage and we were living in a local B&B whilst the initial work was carried out. It was much easier to be on, or very close to, the site so that the work could be overseen and checked […]
Continuing a look at the methods of heating, storing and supplying domestic hot water.
Continuing our detailed look at space and water heating concentrating on heat storage and heat source evaluation.
So far in the discussion we have looked at several things that could be done and the ranges of levels of possible improvement that could be achieved. Now it is time to start to focus in where the real effort (and budget) should be placed. It’s time to establish a priority order and a good […]
There have been many attempts to design dwellings with a reduced (or zero) carbon footprint. Several example buildings have been constructed, and many are being used in real life. In the UK the designs have sometimes been referred to as ‘Passive House’ as the design and construction has been predicated on making them ‘energy neutral’, […]
In my last post I gave some values for the key statistics required for a building to meet the PassivHaus ultra low energy standard. Now I’m attempting to put that up against what I expect to be the status of our new home, and current Energy Saving Trust recommendations and the current Building Regulations. This […]
This blog post is designed to help you (and me!) understand the numbers related to assessing energy use. It is a kind of domestic energy values primer. Power and Energy In general conversation the terms ‘Power’ and ‘Energy’ are often used interchangeably, most confusing, as each has its place. Power is energy is used over […]
Doing some background research produces the following figures. In this case I’m quoting from Wikipedia, but the figures are corroborated across several well established sources. “The housing stock in the United Kingdom is amongst the least energy efficient in Europe. In 2004, housing (including space heating, hot water, lighting, cooking, and appliances) accounted for 30.23% […]
OK. Before we begin to get into the nitty gritty of the project let’s take a moment or two to set the context. There are a number of questions floating about that help to set the scene, let’s look at some in statement form. “The earth is getting warmer, and that is caused by mankind.” […]
This blog is about the thoughts, information, plans and realities of attempting an energy efficient refurbishment of a bungalow. One that is to become our new home. Now that our children have all grown up and found their own homes our long term house is far too big for us. So we have set about […]