renewable energy technologiesWe strongly believe in the merits of 'green' energy. It is always worth considering whether your new home would benefit from one of the excellent new technologies available. SIP houses, with their inherent high insulation values, can be made even more energy efficient with the inclusion of an appropriate system. But bear in mind that good insulation is always the key, and that is the first element that we have addressed in both our SIP and timber frame kits.
An exhaust air heat pump works by utilising ducting
to draw the warm moist air from areas such as kitchens and bathrooms
back to the pump. The pump then uses a compression process to use the
collected heat to warm up the water in the hot water tank (also part
of the system). This hot water is then pumped around underfloor heating
or radiators to provide domestic heating. This same tank also supplies
the domestic hot water. An electric immerser kicks in automatically
when there is not enough collected heat in the system. This system also
has the advantage of controlling humidity - vital in a SIP house. The
cold air is vented to outside and the moisture drains away via a pipe
fed throught to outside. This system works best in a tightly sealed,
highly insulated house. |
Solar
panels can provide the bulk of your hot water needs in summer and around
half in winter. The system can only be installed on a south-east to
south-west facing roof. The system can cost around £4,000 to install.
There
are two main methods of using Biomass to heat a house. A stand-alone
stove provides space heating for a room and can be fueled by logs or
pellets. It can be fitted with back boilers to provide water heating.
Boilers connected to central heating systems use pellets, logs or chips.
The log boilers require substantial storage facilities and manual loading.
The chip-fed stoves require a local supplier of chips, and space and
access for a hopper. Planning permission may be required.