Energy Efficient Homes

Our team of specialists can give you a wide range of solutions to combat the rising fuel costs and to help reduce your carbon footprint. We are environmentally aware, and we pride ourselves on being up-to-date with the latest green solutions. It’s a modern approach to an age-old problem, but the bottom line is keeping your home warm and your family comfortable.

Well Insulated Building Fabric

Providing effective insulation to the building fabric cuts the energy demand for space heating requirements – the largest proportion of our energy demand. The most energy efficient houses built are ‘Passive’, i.e. houses so well insulated and sealed that they require no conventional heating systems, using heat gain from the sun and internal gains such as cooking and lighting to heat the dwelling.

Improved Robust Detailing

As well as achieving effective U-values, emphasis must be placed on Robust Detailing – or the ‘Continuity of the Insulation layer’ avoiding any thermal bridges. Bad detailing can account for up to 40% of heat loss through the building fabric in a presumed ‘well’ insulated dwelling. Xtratherm systems that include corner & reveal boards for walls and perimeter detailing for floors have been approved and exceed the new Building Regulations.

Air Tight Build

Air leakage from buildings, the uncontrolled flow of air through gaps and cracks in the fabric of dwellings (draughts) is a major cause of energy loss and increased CO² emissions. Designing effective air barriers and sealing any gaps in the build will save energy, Air Pressure testing of properties can be used to measure air permeability.

Effective Boilers

Boilers will convert fuel to energy with varying efficiency. Condensing boilers have a minimum efficiency of 86% but can be as efficient as 97%, a vast improvement on earlier technologies.

Effective Heating Controls

Effective control of space & water heating facilities in a property is essential to assist in energy efficiency. Full time & temperature zoning is a requirement in properties over a certain size under the building regulations – but is recommended for all properties as ‘Best Practice’.

Efficient Secondary Heating

An assumption is made under the new building regulations that a certain amount of energy is used on secondary heating. Using a more efficient appliance such as a condensing gas fire rather than the default electric will improve efficiency, and burning renewables such as wood will also reduce CO2 emissions.

Controlled Ventilation

This is not to be confused with air-permeability, the controlled flow of air into and out of the dwelling through purpose-built ventilators is required for the comfort and safety of the occupants. Providing ventilation in the correct manner will help maintain efficiency, once an airtight build is achieved {Permeability less than 4m3/n/m2) mechanical ventilation with heat recovery becomes very effective.

Energy Efficient Lighting

As we achieve better control of space heating requirement through effective insulation of the building fabric and good control of our hot water needs – the energy demand for lighting becomes a bigger proportion of the energy demand and a major contributor to C02 production, not least because the energy is electric based which is a costly fuel and dirtier than all other fuels. Using energy efficient light fittings will reduce C02. Although we should aim to have 100% EE lighting – fashions dictate that this is not always possible thus 75% is quoted in our example.

Solar Gain

The ‘Free’ energy – good design takes advantage of solar gain.

Solar Water Heaters

Can provide up to 50% of hot water requirements on a SE-SW roof at 60°

Photovoltaics

Uses energy from the sun to create electricity to run appliances and lighting. PV requires only daylight – not direct sunlight – to generate electricity. A typical array would cover 10-15 rrf of roof area, to provide 50% of electricity.

Pellet Stoves

Energy from biomass is produced from organic matter of recent origin – not fossil fuels, the CO2 released during burning is balanced by the C02 absorbed during the fuel’s production – this is Carbon Neutral. Storage of pellets is a major consideration.

Ground Source Heat Pump

The ground keeps a constant temperature of about 11-12° C. Ground source heat pumps (GSHP) can transfer this heat into a building to provide space heating. For every unit of electricity used to pump the heat, 3-4 units of heat are produced. Particularly suitable for under floor heating because of lower operating temperatures.