Friday, January 1, 2016
Many people have the misconception that sustainable technologies such as solar and wind power are expensive. However, they can save a great deal of money. For instance, Lauren Martin of House Beautiful features a house in the United Kingdom that runs on solar power, and costs about two dollars a month to power.
The West Kirby house, designed by Colin Usher of John McCall Architects, is extremely well-insulated with a concrete structure and an air source heat pump. According to the John McCall site, this award-winning home features a heat pump, which is "carefully orientated to make the most of the solar gains and to maximize the electricity generating roof panels." The air-to-water heat pump, or ASHP, acts as a refrigerator in reverse, taking heat out of the air, using it to warm the house's water, which in turn helps to warm the whole house.
The windows are triple-glazed to help reduce heat transfer. The house also boasts solar panels mounted on the roof, which captures energy for the sun to help keep the heating bills so incredibly low. The house also features a lot of windows, which let in natural light. The open design and spacious rooms improve air circulation and quality. The house is reportedly worth about $358,000, and Usher says it was not expensive to build either.
Innovations like these are exciting to see, because as more of these tricks and technologies are incorporated the more savings homeowners will see. Energy efficiency helps keep homeowners comfortable and saving money all year long. We at Mercury Excelum help make New England homes more energy-efficient through replacement windows, vinyl siding and our other high-quality products. Contact us for more information.