Energy Saving Trust Green Homes Network Featured Property
Elizabeth and Rick’s three-bedroom house was built around 1910. Like many properties built before 1919, it has solid walls which can let through twice the amount of heat compared to cavity walls. As a result and armed with a professional interest in the environment and energy efficiency, Elizabeth has taken a number of steps to conserve heat and electricity in her home.
In the 1990's they bought a Jøtul wood-burning stove, started using energy saving light bulbs, and hired Solar Energy Systems to install Solartwin solar thermal panels that help to heat up the hot water. A second-hand Morsø wood-burning stove followed in 2002, installed into a cabin-come-office alongside the house.
With the help of a friend who’s a builder and designer, Elizabeth and Rick draught proofed the extension by stripping the internal window facings and taping and insulating around the frames. A big fan of recycling and composting, Elizabeth’s kitchen is also a hive of energy efficiency. Her fridge freezer and washing machine are both energy efficient, A-rated appliances.
In their most recent home improvement, in January 2015, Elizabeth commissioned Kishorn Insulations to spray Icynene, an airtight breathable insulation foam, behind lathe and plaster of her walls, including the room in the roof and in the loft. Partially funded by the Green Homes Cash Back scheme from the Scottish Government, the whole family is enjoying the comfort of a warmer home as well as expecting savings in fuel bills and using less firewood.
Elizabeth is pleased to say: “We know the house is losing much less heat and heating up more quickly, hence needing the heating on a lot less. The warmth in the bedrooms is quite extraordinary!”
