Key Sustainability Features

The building is well insulated, double glazed and heated by a woodburning stove. Reclaimed, recycled and natural materials have been used where possible.

Minimises energy demand

The decision was made to focus on energy conservation rather than energy generation, partly due to the unsuitability of the building for renewable energy and partly to demonstrate that on a small building reducing demand is more important than generating energy. The building walls and roof are insulated with 200mm Thermafleece, held in place by timber framing. One wall has been left uninsulated to display the original ceramic faced bricks. There is 10mm Celotex in the concrete floor and in the timber panel replacement for the stable door. All windows are double glazed with 6/20/6 units or 9.4/20/6 in the case of the laminated units in the doors. Clements Conservation rooflights with 24mm argon filled units were used in the roof.

Other Energy Efficiency measures

Lighting – compact fluorescents with high frequency ballast and T5 tubes were installed. Light switches were designed to allow flexibility, maximise use of natural light and reduce electricity use by enabling lights in different areas to be switched independently. PIR operated lighting in the bathroom was installed to ensure lights are not left on unnecessarily.

Extractor fans – Heat recovery units with up to 70% heat recovery were selected to provide ventilation in the workshop and WC.

Appliances - Energy efficient appliances were installed. The refrigerator is an AEG SU96000-6l, which has an A+ rating and is CFC/HCFC free. The kettle and toaster are from the Morphy Richards ecolectric range, and are respectively 24% and 34% more efficient than standard alternatives.

Electricity is supplied by Ecotricity, a green energy supplier who invest in new sources of renewable electricity.

Water heating - Due to the sporadic end use of the building, it was decided that the hot water source should be instantaneous to avoid keeping water unnecessarily hot for long periods of time. As the property has no gas supply an electric water heater was installed and with a low minimum flow rate of 1bar, suitable for low water use taps.

Heating

The building is heated by a Clearview 650 woodburning stove, DEFRA approved for use in Smoke Control areas. Convection through the stairwell means that the whole building is heated by one stove. Naturally seasoned wood is sourced from a local tree surgeon to minimise the carbon footprint of the fuel.

To provide heating in the WC a wall mounted infrared bathroom heater was installed to provide instant heat when required, thus avoiding energy wastage.

Materials

Reclaimed materials

Where possible timber was reused within the building. Sound sections of the original roof spars were used for the timber framing in the walls and sections of the front doors were used to make the side panel. Reclaimed timber was used for much of the internal joinery, including the toilet partition, upstairs floorboards and skirtings. The staircase was constructed of local timber with reclaimed mahogany nosings.

Recycled materials

Visqeen Ecomembrane, made from recycled plastic, was used in the concrete floor. The Chamois kitchen cabinets are constructed from fully recycled timber panels. The cabinet doors are made from a combination of recycled timber and wood certificated by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The kitchen worktop is recycled plastic, manufactured by Smile plastics from UK sourced, high strength, food contact approved material that forms the moulded inside linings from scrapped refrigerators. The splashback in the WC is from recycled glass bottles.

Natural materials

The timber was treated with a boron based spray, as this has much lower toxicity levels than more traditional preservative treatments. Thermafleece sheeps wool insulation was used in the walls and roof. Osmo Polyx^®-Oil (3062) is based on natural vegetable oils and waxes and was used for all the second fix joinery. As the walls are constructed to “breathe” and allow moisture to pass through, the paint also needed to be breathable, which meant using a plant based paint.  Auro paints were used for the emulsion and Biofa Natural Paints for the internal and external woodwork. Clay plaster was used for half of the upstairs training area, it is very soft so wasn’t suitable for use throughout the building. Clay plaster is natural and fully recyclable as it dries rather than setting - it can be knocked off the walls, remixed with water and used again.

Water efficiency

While the cold water was run in 15mm pipe, the hot water runs were done in 10mm pipe to reduce the amount of wasted energy and water used in hot water that then cools down in pipes. The WC taps are low water use and Tap Magic attachments were fitted to the kitchen and workshop taps to reduce water use. Opening the tap a little gives a water saving spray, it can be opened fully to bypass the spray mode when used for filling buckets etc.

Other features

An electricity monitor is available but the building has been in use for too short a time to enable the data to be useful. Cycle racks have been installed in the LATCH car park 50m away and public transport directions are given on the website.