Sustainability
We have been lucky to be able to invest in some good sustainable technologies over time. The main house has solar hot water and solar PV electric arrays, both installed in 2006. That gives us oodles of hot water in summer, and plenty of electricity (much of it exported). Of course we've done our best to insulate the roof of the main house - with the Annexe it a tad more difficult as it is a second floor built up in to the roof with dormer windows. We have double glazing - but as it is aging a few of the glass panels are blown, can mist up a little and really need renewing. We have a wood burner in the living room which we use a lot throughout winter.
With the conversion of the garage to a cottage we have been able to make the whole build very "eco", and it includes lots of (environmentally sound) insulation and building materials, underfloor heating and yet more solar PV panels. Rainwater from the cottage and half the main house goes in to a big underground tank to support the garden. LED lighting abounds in the cottage, and appliances are as as high performing (in sustainable terms) as we could buy. A lovely and very effective Clearview wood burning stove is a centrepiece and it has a (kind of) oven on top for slow cooking and stuff.
Sadly though the cottage heating is gas - at least for now. Options for such a small space made for a headache. And ultimately we could not even have solar hot water as that demands a big insulated storage tank and there is simply no room. However we have put in piping ready so that if and when we can add a little side "boiler room" we can swap gas boiler for a small biomass boiler and add a storage tank for solar water.
Our latest update though has been in the kitchen. As part of a serious and badly needed make-over we have had a log-burning range installed. IN winter it provides warmth and some cooking power in the kitchen, but as it has a back boiler we've been able to plumb it in to our solar hot water storage tank, and also connect that to our radiator system. The result is a wonderful system that collects the hot water from the stove and then lets us use it for hot water in winter (when solar is low) and for distributing the heat it generates around the house with timer and thermostatic control. In spring and autumn we get the combined befit of solar and wood burning energy. Our house gas usage has dropped to virtually nil.
With the conversion of the garage to a cottage we have been able to make the whole build very "eco", and it includes lots of (environmentally sound) insulation and building materials, underfloor heating and yet more solar PV panels. Rainwater from the cottage and half the main house goes in to a big underground tank to support the garden. LED lighting abounds in the cottage, and appliances are as as high performing (in sustainable terms) as we could buy. A lovely and very effective Clearview wood burning stove is a centrepiece and it has a (kind of) oven on top for slow cooking and stuff.
Sadly though the cottage heating is gas - at least for now. Options for such a small space made for a headache. And ultimately we could not even have solar hot water as that demands a big insulated storage tank and there is simply no room. However we have put in piping ready so that if and when we can add a little side "boiler room" we can swap gas boiler for a small biomass boiler and add a storage tank for solar water.
Our latest update though has been in the kitchen. As part of a serious and badly needed make-over we have had a log-burning range installed. IN winter it provides warmth and some cooking power in the kitchen, but as it has a back boiler we've been able to plumb it in to our solar hot water storage tank, and also connect that to our radiator system. The result is a wonderful system that collects the hot water from the stove and then lets us use it for hot water in winter (when solar is low) and for distributing the heat it generates around the house with timer and thermostatic control. In spring and autumn we get the combined befit of solar and wood burning energy. Our house gas usage has dropped to virtually nil.