Please ignore the upside down photos - a glitch in the website means we cannot remove them!
67 is a traditionally built 1960’s bungalow, cavity walls, suspended floors and tiled roof.
Purchased in 2010 the property had gas central heating, old uPVC windows, minimal loft insulation.
WHOLE HOUSE VENTILATION AND HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEM
During the winter of 2010 problems occurred with mould forming in the unused bedroom and
generally the air quality in the house was not good. Research into house ventilation led me to Whole
House Ventilation and eventually a unit from Villavent ( now Systemair)
In a bungalow this was a straight forward job and within the capability of any good DIY’er.
www.systemair.com . Unit installed VR 250 ECH/B.
Purchased as a complete kit and installed in 2 days. The only maintenance required is an annual filter
change, the units operation is automatic.
From the time it was switched on we noticed an improvement in air quality and sufferers of hay
fever do well in the house.
In early 2011 a south facing gable end conservatory was constructed and adds good solar gain and
warmth in mid winter.
SOLAR PV.
November 2011 saw the installation of a 4 kw PV system by Dorset Energy Solutions
https://www.dorsetenergysolutions.co.uk/. Our installation was the first they installed on both an
east and west facing roof. This installation has exceeded the Governments figures for this type of
installation.
In March 2020 we had the system upgraded and the bungalow reroofed. The original 4 kw system
was relocated to the east facing roof and a new 5.2 kw system installed in the west facing roof. In
addition to this new array an 8.2 kw battery was installed to store our surplus PV generation for use
later in the day. https://www.givenergy.co.uk/
The house is now at the maximum potential export level our electricity supplier will permit (around
8 kw).
Both arrays are now “in roof”.
OTHER IMPROVEMENTS
RAINWATER HARVESTING
All of our rainwater is collected in 2 x 1100 litre IBC’s and then pumped to supply garden watering
and car cleaning. Future upgrade would be connection to the toilet for flushing.
INSULATION
Cavity wall insulation has been installed.
The loft originally had just 75 mm of insulation this is now nearer 500 mm.
The suspended ground floor has been insulated using 100 mm of Celotex. This was a major job
involving the removal of the flooring. Not for the faint hearted.
WINDOWS
Changed to A++ windows supplied by Polar Glaze. https://polarglaze.com/
LIGHTING
LED lights are used through the house and have been upgraded as better lights have come available.
TRANSPORT
Having owned a self charging hybrid 3 years ago we took the plunge and went full EV with an
Hyundai Kona and have recently upgraded this vehicle. Charging is either via the PV at 3 kw or a 7kw
Pod Point charger ( https://pod-point.com/ ) using off peak or a combination of both at weekends.
Locally we cycle using electric bikes.
FUTURE UPGRADES.
During September 2022 another 8.2 kw battery will be added giving a potential 16.4 kw of storage.
Up to 5 batteries can be added to the GivEnergy inverter.
Also during September the Pod Point charger will be changed to a MyEnergi Zappi charger
https://myenergi.com/ .This is a smart charger and will automatically direct our surplus generation
to the car.
One of the biggest problems we have had in a small house is where to locate a hot water tank. This
has now been resolved after much fretting and discussion with our plumber and by early 2023 we
will be heating our hot water for “free”. Proposing to use MyEnergi Eddi control box again to direct
the surplus generation for our use.
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