Case study detail
Ecohome Nottingham
Nottingham Eco-home
Contributed by:
Sustainable Development Commission
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A semi-detached Victorian home refurbished to reduce emissions by 85% with an additional focus on the use of low environmental impact materials. Demonstration to show how green design can appeal to a wider audience and be an aspirational lifestyle choice.
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Overview
Nottingham Ecohome is a typical 5-bedroom semi detached Victorian villa that has been refurbished from 1998 over a six years period in a low energy and ecological way.
Dating from around 1898, it was in a very run-down state and has been thoroughly upgraded by the owners, architect Gil Shalom and his wife Penney Poyzer, in partnership with Global Action Plan to provide a good example of eco retrofit. It is a demonstration of a variety of eco-friendly features including super-insulation, solar hot water and wood burning boiler, rainwater harvesting and waste composting systems.
By disseminating freely its different outcomes, the project also set out to show how green design can appeal to a wider audience and be an aspirational lifestyle choice.
To improve the house’s energy efficiency and reduce its CO2 emissions to a minimum, the project main priorities were to:
- Upgrade thermal performance through insulation, heat recovery ventilation and air tightness and thermal mass improvement
- Be as autonomous as possible in energy, water, sewage treatment and food
- Experiment with different low-impact materials
As a result of the various refurbishment works conducted, the overall energy savings are estimated at 85% in terms of tonnes of CO2 and 75% in terms of costs.
Most of the savings come in the form of more efficient space heating and hot water use, whilst the use of natural materials lowers the environmental impact of the house and has improved its internal environment.
The refurbishment of this large house allowed its owner to convert some rooms into lodgings and share occupancy. Some of the technologies used are now slightly outdated as better-performing and cheaper fittings are more easily available, but this only add to the noticeable achievements of this refurbishment project.
Nottingham EcoHome at a glance*
1 Flat-Plate solar collectors for heating water
2 Roof insulation 300/400mm thick (shredded newspapers)
3 Roof lights with insulating low-emissivity glass
4 Natural plasters- clay and lime based
5 Super insulated hot water tank
6 100mm ozone friendly drylining to front face to maintain brick appearance
7 150mm external wall insulation with rendered finish
8 Space saving bath and thermostatic shower controls
9 Heat recovering fans
10 Environmental-friendly paints
11 Draught lobby
12 triple- and double-glazed timber windows treated with natural fungicides and stains
13 Energy efficient appliances
14 Second hand reclaimed furniture
15 tripped floorboards
16 Copper rainwater goods with filters for rainwater harvesting
17 160mm natural floor insulation
18 Rainwater storage for use in WCs and washing machine
19 Low-flush toilets
20 Non-PVC waste pipes
21 Composting chamber for solid waste from WCs
22 Separator lets liquids drain off and solids into composting chamber
23 Decking
24 Organic garden utilizing the principles of permaculture
» Read a detailed summary of the work that has been done inside the house.
Energy and costs at the Nottingham Ecohome*
| Heating | Hot water | Cooking | Light and appliances | Total | |
| Original specification (before windows were replaced) | |||||
| £/year | 2513 | 538 | 31 | 424 | 3536 |
| GJ/year | 113.4 | 24.3 | 6.3 | 19.1 | 163 |
| CO2t/year | 13.0 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 2.2 | 18.9 |
| Actual figure(May 2005) | |||||
| £/year | 250 | 122 | 79 | 388 | 867 |
| GJ/year | 49.4 | 24.1 | 3.6 | 17.5 | 94.6 |
| CO2t/year | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 2.9 |
| Aspirational (airtightness complete and windows upgraded further) | |||||
| £/year | 163 | 122 | 79 | 387 | 780 |
| GJ/year | 32.2 | 24.1 | 3.6 | 17.5 | 77.3 |
| CO2t/year | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 2.8 |
*Figures based on NHER energy modelling and taken from http://www.sustainablehousing.org.uk/documents/NottinghamRefurbishment.pdf
Funding
There were no incentives available from public funding bodies in this field when the occupiers started applying insulation and other energy saving measures to their home, but they have been able to benefit from two grants from the Clear Skies and the New Energy Foundation schemes in 2002. The grants enabled them to install their biomass boiler which is the first of its type, suitable for installation in urban areas and smokeless zones.
Contact
Penney Poyzer and Gil Schalom
9 Patrick Road, West Bridgford,
Nottingham,
NG2 7JY
E-mail: nottinghamecohome@ntlworld.com
Key features
energy
materials
regeneration
waste initiatives
Key data
Project Team:
Cost:
Local Authority:
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