As with any new or unknown approach, people think you are mad or from another planet. My wife was one of those people who has been very tolerant but still thinks I am mad for attempting to achieve a low energy / zero carbon house. Until, that is, we went to an open day in Oxford and saw a house that was converted – the art of the possible.

David & Barbara Hammond converted their house in 2000 to use various technologies to reduce their carbon footprint. David’s approach used a combination of Insulation, Solar panels (for hot water), Photovoltaic and a heat pump that extracted heat from the River Thames.  They estimate that the energy usage of their house is 36% of an unconverted equivalent. The video below is in two parts and  gives give a quick overview of the system.

My thanks to David & Barbara for sharing this with others who are keen to make a difference.