Households which contribute electricity to the National Grid are to receive payments under a new government scheme.
There is precious little help out there at the moment, lets hope its starting to begin
Well in a nutshell we intend to have the bedrooms and bathrooms downstairs sitting on electrically powered under floor heating which will heat a concrete floor. This will be covered with tiles creating a thermal mass which will both insulate and generate heat powered by the photovoltaic panels. The main living area will be situated up stairs accessed from the drive way. This will include a living room with a wood burning stove, a landing incorporating an open office where the bathroom used to be, an entrance hall including a utility room and upstairs toilet and a kitchen with extended dinner with a wood burning stove. The diner will have a Rhenzink standing seam roof with photovoltaic panels. The south facing main roof will have both photovoltaic and solar panels to generate electricity and heat water. The outside of the house will be clad in thermal cladding and will have a balcony running along the kitchen and dinning area opened out on to from the dinning area. All windows will be replaced and in some cases opened up with white UPVC double glazed frames. The whole house will be re-wired and decorated throughout.
The idea is to create a light modern comfortable space designed to make use of natural light and retain a warm or cool atmosphere. A home that will generate nearly all of its own energy (if not all) reducing our carbon footprint and our energy bills. A home that will instantly improve our quality and enjoyment of life.
The Sketch plans were submitted to the local District Council for approval. We only had to wait a couple of weeks and we received a letter giving full approval to go a head. With this conformation we decided to approach up to 10 building companies for quotes. About 3 companies approached us having seen the planning proposal posted on the District Council website. We spoke to companies of all sizes and capabilities and waited in anticipation for their replies.
It wasn’t long before the quotes came rolling in and they did vary considerably. Because of the unusual nature of the build we needed to give some additional clarification on some points mainly concerning the solar panels and electric under floor heating. It soon became apparent who the front-runners were and we then talked to the architects to short list and select our builder.
The company we finally opted for is Ablerow Construction Building and Roofing Contractors.
Greening-the-Box(GTB) is an initiative introduced by SEArch (Sustainable Ecological Architecture Ltd), adopted by Wherry Housing Association in partnership with Broadland District Council for the environmental responsible adaptation of an existing dwelling to standards fit for the inevitable………low carbon future.
It was over 5 years ago that we first considered how we might achieve a more environmental and economical way of sustainable living. In that time a lot has happened. Find out more....
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