Campaign unveils eco-makeover Home of the Future
Tuesday, 02 March 2010 16:41
As the £23,000 eco-makeover of the Home of the Future ended on Friday 26 February, the Great British Refurb Campaign presented the winners, Will Homoky and girlfriend, Catherine Beswick with the keys to their newly refurbished eco-house in Totterdown, Bristol.
Winning the competition just four weeks ago, Will and Catherine have seen their three-bedroom end of terrace transformed into an energy efficient, low carbon home. The couple can expect the refurbishment to save them 123 percent on their annual energy bill and cut their carbon emissions by 85 percent.
The prize included a combination of the latest energy-efficiency measures, as advised by community regeneration experts, Keepmoat and donated by Knauf Insulation, combined with micro-generating capacity such as solar panels provided by the UK's leading solar energy company, Solarcentury.
Holding the keys to his eco-home, Will said: “The house looks amazing. We can’t quite believe how much has changed in four weeks. We now have an eco-friendly house that not only is cutting our carbon emissions and saving us money, but looks really stylish too. The building team has worked tirelessly, and it’s been great to learn from the experts how energy conservation can be improved. We just want to say a massive thank you to everyone involved.”
One of the key energy saving measures installed, courtesy of Solarcentury, is the £12,000 worth of photovoltaic panels in the roof. The panels produce energy from the daylight, which is then used in the home, with excess energy being sold back to the electricity supplier.
The Government’s new Feed-in Tariff means that Will and Catherine are now being financially rewarded for their low carbon lifestyle by producing clean energy. For every unit of energy that their new PV panels generate, they will be paid 41.3 pence, which amounts to an annual income of £667. Some of the electricity will be used in their home and the rest exported to the grid for an additional 3p a unit. If a 50:50 split between the energy is assumed, then Will and Catherine can expect to receive £105 of electricity savings and £24 of export income, as well as the £667; giving them a total of £796 of income and savings each year. Over 25 years the house is expected to see savings and income of over £28,000.
Other refurbishment work carried out by the Keepmoat and Knauf Insulation teams includes the installation of internal wall, loft and under floor insulation; upgraded double glazing; voltage reduction device; klick taps to reduce hot water usage; and chimney balloons.
The Home of the Future competition was run nationally as part of the Great British Refurb Campaign and the 10:10 Campaign, and aimed to show what can be done in our homes to meet the Government’s carbon emissions targets, reduce our use of energy, and save money.
The winning house in Bristol was chosen from over 8,000-plus entries, with five houses being randomly shortlisted. As part of the decision-making process, each shortlisted house received a carbon consultation to tell each homeowner how they can stop wasting energy, including thermal imaging and an Energy Performance Certificate - advice worth over £500. The other shortlisted houses were in Bristol, Macclesfield, Southend and Warrington.
Competition winners Will Homoky and Catherine Beswick
