Location
Handley Gate Cottage, Garway Hill
Hereford
HR2 8HD
View on map
Opening times
Sunday 2nd and Sunday 23rd November. Tours starting at 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm.
Other Turn up for house tours at given times
Sarah welcomes you to her home in Garway Hill. The original cottage is stone walled built in 1850's with newer cavity walled extensions.
Modifications:
- Reglazed
- Externally insulated and clad the property
- Installed solar panels with a battery
- We have an EV point
- Sun tunnels in the hall so we don't have to use lights
Motivation to retrofit:
To reduce the energy usage, keep it warmer and use renewable energy.
Approximate cost:
- 14k for the solar, ev charger and battery
- 3-5k for the external insulation and cladding
Who did the work?
A local contractor for the building work. An external installer called Energy Renewable Solutions for the solar.
Approximate energy savings:
We use less than half of the oil we used to use, so £1k per year for the insulation. In the summer we use no electricity in the home as it is all generated by the solar (when there's at least a bit of sun) = approx £500 per year and we can save more by using the battery smartly.
Benefits:
Warmer, less drafty and it looks great! I love knowing that I am using the suns power for everything in the summer.
Next steps:
Get off the oil boiler and improve other areas of the insulation of the house.
