German Style House
We have recently been working on a German style precut house for a client. The computer design is now almost complete and the mock up image to the left has just been completed. This is an exciting modern looking house using our low energy principles
Portland Place
Our Portland Place project began in spring 2008, with the basement being dug ready for the ICF structural blocks to be installed. Once we are out of the ground the 3 storey precut timber frame building will be quickly installed. This will be our most ambitious project to date in terms of energy efficiently. Consisting of two 3 bedroom semi detached houses, it will feature super insulation, a large shared solar heating system, PV clad roof and a shared wood pellet heating system. When these two technologies are integrated correctly with some sophisticated control systems and a large heat store there will be potential for all of the heating and hot water demand to be supplied in a carbon neutral manner.
Working with our partners we are aiming for this project to achieve Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH). CSH brings together all environmental aspects of the build, from waste management during construction, to energy efficiency of the build through procurement of sustainable products.
Elmdale
During Autumn 2007 Elmdale will be finished - the early stages of the build are shown above. The Elmdale project consists of a large timber frame Ecohouse in Essex with 300mm thick walls and 350mm thick rafters to create a very well insulated build. House wrap is also used to remove any drafts and a large solar panel will heat the hot water. The owner Roderick Williams plans to monitor the house to see how it performs in terms of energy use and temperature profile.
Hopground Cottage
Hopground Cottage is located in a small Hertfordshire village so it was important for the styling to fit in with the area. This was achieved along with constructing an air tight very well insulated modern building. The house features 250mm thick walls insulated with Warmcel, house wrap for an airtight build, heat recovery ventilation, rainwater harvesting and solar hot water heating. The client recently explained that the solar panel has provided all the hot water needs for her own use over the summer periods - an impressive saving over conventional fossil fueled powered hot water heating systems.
Touchwood
Touchwood is our own Ecohouse development in Hertfordshire. The timber frame house has a full size basement and a large attic room which would make an excellent office or playroom. The house features excellent levels of insulation, low energy lighting throughout including the latest in LED technology. Other features include a 2.88kW grid connected PV system, a 1kW wind turbine, rainwater harvesting, solar water heating and a Heat Recovery Ventilation system.
The house is a good example of what is possible with an Ecohome and shows that a modern open planned interior with high spec bathrooms and kitchens is consistent with the low energy ethos. The house has loggers installed to monitor performance so we can learn from the build to continually improve our techniques. Currently the house is rented by East Herts District Council as a show home to demonstrate a low energy lifestyle.
Octagon
We are currently designing an Octagonal shaped house. This should work well with solar gain since it will receive gain from the southeast, south and southwest, following the sun's path during the day. The house will be constructed using bespoke Glulam beams with I beam infill panels filled with Warmcel to provide super insulation along with excellent air tightness. PVs will be present on the 3 roof surfaces to provide a more even PV output through out the day than conventional south facing only PV installations.
