This will be my last blog entry for the Guardian since the team are now focussed on the December Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen - you can still follow what we are doing to our property at www.greenhomediary.com

We will also be setting up a webcam so that you can see what is happening in real time.

IRT Surveys based at Dundee conducted a survey several weeks ago of the back elevation of the house. Our central heating was put on full power with all the windows shut - you can see the results  -  it looks as if we are leaking heat at the top of the 1st floor and the patio windows.  It also looks as if there is some thermal bridging along the RSJ’s above the windows. All of this will be covered as External Wall Insulation using 110mm of Celotex and carefully joined with the insulation that will be covering the roof so that there is a complete seal around the whole house.

I am planning on doing this myself.  I have asked whether the Bricks and Bread Sustainability Living Centre at Aldershot can provide some training courses on tiling, brick laying etc - stuff I did years ago at my old Technical High School in Portsmouth.

So now we have architected plans for my property which have been submitted for planning permission, and considerable research on how to reduce the heating consumption of the house to virtually zero. My architect keeps re-assuring me that I will only need heating for approximately 10 days of the year - and that will be from a wood burning stove. We will get another survey down after the changes to ensure we don’t have any leaks.

Proposed Elevation Plan

One of the interesting debates that occurred at the ECO Home Event held by  National Self Build & renovation Centre based at Swindon on Saturday 11th July was heat pumps vs insulation, plus whether it was worth installing photovoltaic panels.  As you can see from the front elevation, there is quite a lot of sloping roof to put PV but it is facing 110 degrees from north. My architect says it isn’t worth it and it may be better to invest in other CO2 reducing strategies. I have been quoted £14,000 that will generate 2500 kwh per year which is about half my consumption. The obvious strategy is to investigate what we are currently using and to reduce as much as possible, but what more can be done ? Switching to Good Energy as my supplier may be one option. Wind is not an option (I have been monitoring it for the last 18 months and there is not enough at 10m per second).  How about asking a farmer in some windy remote location to install a wind turbine (at my expense) to offset what I use at home that could be to both our benefit ? Or joining a cooperative that collectively install a wind turbine and use it to offset their usage (after they have done everything possible to reduce their existing usage) ?

I’d welcome any suggestions because reducing heat usage is only part of the answer - we need to reduce and have sustainable electricity.