A barn rebuilt recently as a holiday cottage, next to the owner’s thatched home.

The roofs have 18 solar panels, installed on West, South and East facing roofs, producing around 9 kW of power. These feed in to two Solar Edge batteries capable of storing 10kWh each., feeding the house and barn respectively. Any excess energy is diverted to the hot water immersion heater through an Eddi divertor; then to a car charger; then finally exported to the grid.

The barn is heated with an Air Source Heat Pump, with the underfloor heating controlled by Heat Miser thermostats in each room. The barn has a high degree of insulation, with thick insulation under the floors, and about 20cm of internal wall insulation, which makes for walls 80cm thick including the original stone.

The resulting building has an EPC of A+.

The barn is available for holiday lets through Classic Cottages

A workshop next to the barn has a house battery fitter, Evoflo Energy , and Jules will be open to visitors to explain why many householders could benefit from a home battery to take advantage of low night-time tariffs.

From Bridport, head for Washingpool Farm. Seymour Farm is up a track on the left before you reach the farm shop. if you are mobile, park under the trees off the main road and walk along the track, taking the right fork towards the second thatched house.

Visitors might consider combining their trip with another greener homes at Watercleaves, which is just up the road next to Washingpool Farm shop. You will have to book your visit.