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The house has 14 PV panels and three solar thermal collectors
http://www.greenbuildnews.co.uk/images/img/articles/297_198/Articles_207_1_1277808137.jpg
Tony and Patricia Almond own the 50th property to be given SuperHome status
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Tony and Patricia Almond have achieved a reduction of 66% of their domestic carbon emissions, by undertaking a variety of green refurbishment measures including installing insulation and renewable energy technologies. The couple's Hertfordshire home is the 50th property in the OldHome SuperHome project, an initiative from the Sustainable Energy Academy to showcase carbon-cutting home improvements.
The Almonds moved in to the house in 1991 and were inspired to make improvements after visiting Canada in the winter of 2000: the trip made the couple realise just how comfortable Canadian buildings felt when compared with their own house, despite the extreme weather the country experiences.
Greenbuild News attended a tour of the property on one of the hottest days of the year so far (on the same day as the England match against Germany in the World Cup, to explain the bunting) so wasn't able to appreciate the insulation, but the beautiful summer weather certainly highlighted some of the other sustainable features, such as the solar thermal and PV panels.
Tony Almond was an industrial heating engineer previously, and now runs Planet Energy, so does have a massive advantage over most homeowners in that he understands the technologies and, in fact, helped to design the property's new heating system. That said, there has still been a few learning opportunities along the way, as he admits: "We initially had two solar thermal collectors on the roof but realised this wasn't enough and needed to have a third added."
Tony's knowledge of the industry gives him an interesting perspective on the SuperHome project, as he now adds to his technical knowledge with the experience of what it is actually like to live in a house that uses substantially less energy than usual. He's also looking into ways of cutting back on water use as his next project. "I've been considering a greywater recycling system, that could be installed in the garage so we wouldn't have to compromise on space in the house," he explains.
As well as insulation and solar, the house features energy-saving measures such as draught proofing and double glazing. A rainwater harvesting system supplies water for domestic use and for watering the garden, which is used for growing vegetables as well as flowers and is also home to six chickens, further illustrating the Almonds' desire to lessen their environmental impact.
To find out more about the SuperHome network and to visit one in your area, please visit www.superhomes.org.uk .
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