26th July 2012

DORCHESTER: Chance to see how an eco home works

By Trevor Bevins

Eco homes in Dorchester will be open to the public in September as part of Dorset Architectural Heritage Week.

Seven homes are featured, six in Dorchester and one at Milborne St Andrew. They range from a modern home to those which date to the 17th century.

Bookings for visits are being taken from this week with most only able to take a handful of people at a time. It is expected that the places will be quickly taken with a growing interest, running in parallel with rising fuel prices, in being able to heat and light a home for less.

The weekend of visits will be held on September 8th and 9th.

The community project is run by Sally Cooke, a member of Transition Town Dorchester.

“When we asked for volunteers we almost immediately had about 20 who offered, which was remarkable,” said Sally, “it illustrates the interest there is.”

Amongst those whose homes will be open is that of David and Jane Henshaw on Dorchester’s Manor Park.

The couple, who have four children, have managed to dramatically reduce the cost of heating and lighting their home and say they manage perfectly well without a car – using electric and traditional bikes instead.

One of the first in the area to have solar panels fitted, back in 2006, they had to bring in a company from Wales to carry out the work – because no one locally was able to do it.

“It seems remarkable now, but we even had to put the workmen up in a hotel to do the work,” said David.

But although he missed out on grants and more favourable tariffs he is still more than happy with his array of panels – which produce a significant proportion of their power needs.

The family also invested in a DIY water harvesting system which recycles rainwater and water from showers, sinks and baths and have an efficient wood burner which keeps the house warm.

David’s figures show that the family have generated a total of 13.4 megawatt/hours of electricity since the panels arrived in October 2006, which is about 2.3Mwh per year.

That averages at about 6kWh/day – just under half what the family use.

“At this moment we are producing 1,980 watts, which is typical for a bright sunny day. The panels do better when it's sunny and cold, because efficiency drops when they get warm,” said David.

“The panels currently generate about £275 worth of electricity per year, which more or less pays the interest on the capital needed to install them, but as electricity prices continue to rise, we will hopefully eventually repay the capital. The panels are completely maintenance-free, although we will need a replacement inverter soon.”

David says the solar thermal panels pre-heat water before it goes to a fairly conventional gas boiler which, on very sunny days means the gas boiler can be turned off and water diverted straight to the taps.

Even with using gas for cooking - gas bills are typically between £4 and £18 a quarter.

The family’s water system, which costs only around £150 to install, supplies the showers, bath and sinks in the two bathrooms, with the 'grey' water system being turned off when there is sufficient rain.

David says tank supplies one of our two toilets by gravity, saving around 60 litres a day. This uses only about half of the grey water available, and the rest is used to water the garden.

“The saving on that toilet is about £44 a year, and we also get a small rebate because we put less grey water and surface water into the sewage,” said David.

“These things need not be expensive: our home-made water recycling system cost only £150 or so, and seems to be saving that much every year. We burn pallets in the winter, and use no other heating, which saves a huge amount. Anyone could do this... you only have to go round scavenging pallets. So I would say, if you can't afford the high-tech green things, go out and do something cheaper. We all complain endlessly about the cost of energy, but there are lots of things ordinary people can do. Putting up a washing line costs almost nothing and saves a fortune in airing/drying costs.”

Further details can be found at http://greendor.wordpress.com/

Booking to visit the greendor homes on September 8th and 9th and for other homes during Dorset Architectural Heritage Week can be made at www.dahw.org.uk

PICTURE: SAVING ENERGY - David, Jane and Alexander Henshaw outside their Manor Park home

DORCHESTER: Chance to see how an eco home works

DORCHESTER: Chance to see how an eco home works

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