67 is a traditionally built 1960’s bungalow, cavity walls, suspended floors and tiled roof. Purchased in 2010 the property had gas central heating, old uPVC windows, minimal loft insulation.
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WHOLE HOUSE VENTILATION AND HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEM
During the winter of 2010 problems occurred with mould forming in the unused bedroom and generally the air quality in the house was not good. Research into house ventilation led me to Whole House Ventilation and eventually to a unit from Villavent ( now Systemair) In a bungalow this was a straightforward job and within the capability of any good DIY’er. www.systemair.com. Unit installed VR 250 ECH/B. Purchased as a complete kit and installed in 2 days. The only maintenance required is an annual filter change, the units operation is automatic. From the time it was switched on we noticed an improvement in air quality and sufferers of hay fever do well in the house.
CONSERVATORY
In early 2011 a south facing gable end conservatory was constructed and adds good solar gain and warmth in mid winter. SOLAR PV. November 2011 saw the installation of a 4 kw PV system by Dorset Energy Solutions Our installation was the first they installed on both an east and west facing roof. This installation has exceeded the Governments figures for this type of installation.
In March 2020 we had the system upgraded and the bungalow reroofed. The original 4 kw system was relocated to the east facing roof and a new 5.2 kw system installed in the west facing roof. In addition to this new array a 8.2 kw battery was installed to store our surplus PV generation for use later in the day. The house is now at the maximum potential export level our electricity supplier will permit (around 8 kw). Both arrays are now “in roof”. September 2022 another 8.2KW battery was added to the system.
INSULATION
Cavity wall insulation has been installed. The loft originally had just 75 mm of insulation this is now nearer 500 mm. The suspended ground floor has been insulated using 100 mm of Celotex. This was a major job involving the removal of the flooring. Not for the faint hearted.
WINDOWS
Changed to A++ windows supplied by Polar Glaze. https://polarglaze.com/
LIGHTING
LED lights are used through the house and have been upgraded as better lights have come available.
TRANSPORT
Having owned a self charging hybrid 4 years ago we took the plunge and went for full EV in 2020. Three years on and now both our cars are EV’s. The car charger was upgraded to a smart charge in September 2022. A Myenergi Zappi https://myenergi.com/. This charger enables us to use our surplus PV generation to charge the cars. The amount of charge varies depending on the available PV generation and demand from the house but on a good summers day a maximum charge of 7KW can be achieved Locally we cycle using electric bikes.
WATER HEATING
One of the biggest problems we have had in a small house is where to locate a hot water tank. This has now been resolved after much fretting and discussion with our plumber. This tank will be located in the loft. Proposing to use MyEnergi Eddi control box again to direct the surplus generation to the hot water tank. Requiring only a 90 litre tank we also have the opportunity to use any surplus for space heating.
RAINWATER HARVESTING
All of our rainwater is collected in 2 x 1100 litre IBC’s and then pumped to supply garden watering and car cleaning. Future upgrade would be connection to the toilet for flushing.
THE FUTURE.
Whilst we have achieved an EPC of A there is still room to improve the thermal insulation of the property and we are researching the viability of adding external insulation to the property. This will be a major undertaking, requiring Planning Permission and Building Control approval, but the improvement in the “U” values for the walls is significant.
This home is Open by Appointment all year round - email dorsetgreenerhomes@gmail.com or call 07412 703518