Green retrofits make a 100+ year old home green.
The ecohome owned by Gil Schalom and Penney Poyzer and located in Nottingham, UK is an excellent example of everything that is right about turning existing home green. Granted there is a great need for new green homes and urban infill, but ultimately the greenest thing you can do is make an existing home green and avoid the disruption of more land and the use of new materials.
So what makes this home so special. Well, everything they have done over the last 10 years or so has taken this home from a leaky, drafty space to a tight, ecofriendly abode.
From Treehugger:
Penney and her partner Gil Schalom have been hard at work for over ten years converting their home into what they hope will prove a model for other retrofits. Along the way they’ve cut their gas bills to just UK£20 a year (US$30), and their modelled domestic CO2 emissions from 19 tonnes to just half a tonne.
Below, you can see a rendering of the home with the full list of updates.
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Flat-plate solar collectors for heating water -
Roof insulation 300/400mm thick, made of shredded surplus newspapers
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Roof lights with insulating (low emmissivity) glass
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Natural plasters - clay and lime based
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Super-insulated hot water tank100mm -
Ozone friendly drylining to front face to maintain exterior brick appearance
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150mm exterior wall insulation with rendered finish
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Space saving bath and thermostatic shower -
controls can save water Heat recovering fans limit ventilation heat loss
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Draught lobby in porch -
Environmetally friendly paints -
Energy efficient appliances -
Triple- and double-glazed timber windows treated with natural fungicides and stains
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Second hand, natural and reclaimed furnitur -
Stripped floorboard -
Copper rainwater goods with filter for rain harvestin
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160mm natural floor insulatio -
Rainwater storage for use in WCs, washingmachine and outside ta
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Low-flush WC -
Non PVC waste pipe -
Composting chamber for solid waste from WC
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Separator lets liquids drain off and solids into composting chambe
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Decking from English green Oak provides longevity without toxic pressure treatmen
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Organic land management utilising the principles of permaculture. Growing our own food saves on packaging and transpor
Source: Treehugger and ecohome
