Our architect has put together a pack describing the project for the builders to bid for the work. It went out last Friday and it feels like a milestone. The project is really starting to feel real now! Let’s see what they come back with.
Archive for July, 2010
Out To Tender
July 27, 2010Google buys wind farms
July 23, 2010Just read that Google has announced they’re investing nearly US$40 million in two wind farms in the state of North Dakota in the United States.
According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), North Dakota is the number one state for wind energy potential in the United States (and has the potential to generate 1/4 of all US electricity demands). Here’s America’s top 20 states.
The two farms, comprised of 113 turbines, will generate 169.5 megawatts of energy however it will not be used to power Google’s data centers or other Google operations. It’s just a good thing for them to invest in.
Great PR for Google, and I get the feeling they actually care too!
Are GSHPs as good as they promise?
July 20, 2010There’s a very interesting article at http://carbonlimited.org/2009/08/11/heat-pumps-emit-more-carbon-than-gas-boilers-so-why-will-they-get-the-renewable-heat-incentive/. Basically it says that because electricity from the grid is partly generated by fossil fuel power stations and that getting this electricity to your house is inefficient, the CO2 output is actually greater if you run a GSHP system than if you run a gas boiler. The author then questions why there should be government incentives to install these systems.
This might be true, but if you power your heat pump using solar panels at your property (or buy your electricity from a green-energy-only supplier) then surely this isn’t true in that instance.
Furthermore, electricity has to be the fuel of the future (as fossil fuels run out, energy has to be sourced more and more from renewable facilities which means electricity) so it must be a good thing that people are installing these systems now.
Greenhouse Effect
July 12, 2010The garden is seriously overgrown. Fortunately it all needs digging up so that we can lay the ground source heat pump so there’s no point me trying to tidy things up. However the big glasshouse that we’ve got had loads of pretty substantial trees growing in it and they’re breaking through the glass panels. I borrowed a saw off one of our neighbours and chopped down the offending greenery. Broke a few more panes in the process. There’s a decent amount of kindling there for our wood burning stoves (next year…) Our lovely new neighbours came a brought us an ice cream which was very welcome; it was like working in a furnace.
Wind Turbines
July 8, 2010I’d been seriously considering getting a wind turbine for the garden to help supply electricity, particulary in the winter when there’s less sun and more wind. Then I came across a cool feature on the Energy Saving Trust’s website (Domestic wind speed prediction tool), that allows you to put in your postcode, tell them whether the area is rural, suburban or urban, and they’ll tell you how much wind there is in your area and whether there’s enough to justify having your own wind turbine.
Here’s what it said:
“Your predicted wind speed is 3.48 metres per second. Unfortunately a domestic small scale wind turbine would not be suitable for your property, as the average wind speed in your area is below 5 metres per second. The Energy Saving Trust does not recommend installing a domestic small scale wind turbine in areas with wind speeds of less than 5 metres per second. Wind speeds of less than 5 metres per second are unlikely to provide a cost effective source of electricity (based on current technologies).”
It's seems that one of these wind turbines won't turn fast enough in our garden...
Drain Heat Exchangers
July 8, 2010Last night I learned about Drain Heat Exchangers – they work just like Ground Source Heat Pumps, but rather than extract heat from sun-warmed earth, they extract it from warm drain water. I need to look into prices and their efficacy, but on the face of it they sound great. We should be able to harvest the drain-water for re-use in the garden, cisterns etc, and also take the heat from it. How cool is that?
Green China
July 7, 2010Despite popular belief in the UK, China is starting to invest heavily in Green Technologies, understanding that they need to value their environment if they are to remain a sustainable global powerhouse.
For example, in a new suburb of Turpan, electricity will be generated by PV power, heating and cooling will be provided by ground source heat pumps, coupled with natural ventilation and natural light in the buildings.
Addressing climate change and developing a low carbon economy have been included into China’s economic and social development plan. Hu Jintao, President of People’s Republic of China, promised at the United Nations Climate Change Summit that China will be reducing carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 2020. Furthermore, Zhou Shengxian, Minister of Environmental Protection, said “China sets environmental protection as the basic national policy and takes sustainable development as a national strategy so that environmental protection can be transformed”.
Encouraging stuff indeed, let’s hope there’s plenty of action to back it up…
Stairs In Their Eyes
July 7, 2010We’ve had a set of stairs in our designs that are central to the hallway. They go up halfway, you turn a corner and go back up the other half to the landing. We’ve decided to scrap the idea in favour of a straight set of stairs that splits left and right at the top. The implications are: 1) we lose a cupboard at the top of the stairs. 2) We end up with a bigger landing. 3) We end up with more hall space. 4) We gain a big cupboard under the stairs. 5) We lose direct access to the big living room from the kitchen (you now have to walk around the stairs). It’s a neater design, probably cheaper, and we like it. Phew.
A plant room???
July 6, 2010Good grief – we weren’t expecting there to be so much kit that we were going to need to dedicate an entire room to the pumps, tanks and pipes that make up the Ground Source Heat Pump system. Pompidou Centre watch out!!!
Come and have a go...
GSHP at Highgrove
July 5, 2010According to an article in the Telegraph, Prince Charles has installed cutting-edge equipment to heat rooms, and provide hot water, at his Gloucestershire estate. Old Charlie Boy isn’t necessarily the best ambassador for this sort of technology (or anything else for that matter) as he comes across to many like a bit of a twerp, but he’s on the money in this case and it’s great to see someone who can afford it take these sensible steps and lead by example. It reminds me of Heather Mills when the Lib Dems wheeled her out as their celebrity endorsement. What were they thinking??? I wonder if he’ll be eligible for the government’s renewable heat incentive scheme?
Did you like the low energy heating darling?
Builder’s references
July 5, 2010My wife and I spent a good part of Sunday visiting 2 couples who’d had similar work done to their houses nearby. They were both very generous with their time and were very open about their experiences. It was a very worthwhile process and we’re starting to feel much less like we’re going in blind. They both recommended their builders very highly which is fantastic – it gives us confidence that we’re going to be choosing between good guys.
In both cases, the families had installed hot water solar panels on the roof, and in this hot weather it’s providing more than enough hot water for their houses. It’s just such a shame that we don’t have south-facing roof space. I suppose we could put them on the ground???
Ice Energy Quotes
July 3, 2010I received quotes from Ice Energy yesterday for the heating system. Interesting reading – they put plenty of details in which gives some confidence that they know what they’re doing and that they’ve done it before. They’ve recommended 2 heat pumps for some reason which I hope will become clear when I quiz them. The sums are quite eye-watering and I must admit a bit confusing. They price for the kit (pumps, piping, underfloor heating etc) and another price for installation. It’s not clear whether or not this includes digging the trenches for the ground source pipe work, and there are other pieces of work that they expect your main contractors to undertake.
There appear to be grants available (£3k for two heat pumps) as well as what appear to be generous government payments as part of the Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme (RHI). No doubt there will be schemes to borrow the capital required with government paybacks as your security.
EU renewables targets
July 2, 2010Sweden achieved a 44 percent score for energy production from renewables in 2008, the highest in the EU, according to the Swedish Energy Agency. Biomass, hydro power and wind account for the majority of its clean energy supply. The UK, by comparison achieved 2.3% from renewables (5.5% from green technology, whatever the difference is). Sweden’s target for 2020 is 50% compared with the UK’s 15%. Given our coastline, wind and financial resources (do we still have these???), you’d think the UK could do better.
Finding a quality, reliable builder
July 1, 2010With so many horror stories about cowboy builders, this becomes a rather anxious process. However I’ve followed up on some of the recommendations that I’ve been given and had glowing reviews returned. This is very encouraging and I’m starting to feel a bit better about it. I’m hoping now, that with a good deal of preparation and choosing builders that come highly recommended, we’ll get some guys that are a pleasure to work with.
I read in my magazine a few tips for choosing your builder:
- Get recommendations, follow them up and ideally see the work they’ve done
- Prefer builders that put a sign up outside the property they’re renovating – it suggests they’re proud of their work
- Choose builders that are members of the FMB (federation of master builders)
- Ask your building regulations person at the local council for any tips
- Be wary of choosing the cheapest (particularly if they’re a lot cheaper than the others)
