40% House

Derek and Tracey Cozens (and their three chidren) show what can be achieved in a very familiar housing type through the implementation of existing measures. Their renovation establishes a readily achievable standard for all houses of this age.

 

The house is a 1926 semi-detached house, of a very familiar type seen throughout Britain. It has cavity walls constructed of clinker blocks.

Why did they want to do it?
Derek and Tracey value the modern lifestyle; they like living in the centre of a town and Derek loves cars, especially his 1950’s Bentley. However, they are also concerned about waste and environmental issues. They became involved in local recycling schemes and became the ‘poster family’ for the local council, and through this have become enthused about promoting green lifestyles.

About the renovation
When they moved into the house in 1989 it was in need of general refurbishment. Their first steps were to update the bathroom, and restore the kitchen using the original units.

To accommodate their growing family they built a large extension along the side of the house, which more than doubled the floor area of the house. They realized that the heating bills could increase substantially and sought efficiency improvements in all areas.

They double-glazed the existing porch at the front of the house and added a small  unheated conservatory to the rear of the house, accessed through the double patio doors that originally led into the garden. The conservatory functions as a draught lobby and sun trap.

Pictured: The extension they build with double glazing

Heating
They installed an A rated Feroli condensing gas boiler, and doubled the capacity of the radiators. There is insulating foil behind all radiators and Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs) are fitted throughout.  Additional space heating is provided by an ‘art deco’ wood burner, which runs on waste wood. Derek says that their friends and neighbours leave wood out for them on their drive.

Pictured: The condensing gas boiler

Electricity
All light bulbs are low energy compact fluorescents. There are heat exchanging ventilator fans in the kitchen and bathroom. Sava Plugs are fitted on the chest freezer and fridge freezer

With three kids, the Cozens’ always have clothes to dry. In winter they hang clothes in the utility room on a “kitchen maid” and run a dehumidifier fan on slow speed. Derek says this uses far less power than an electric clothes drier, and is gentler on the clothes too.
 
Insulation
The original leaded windows were all replaced with new double glazed units.

Over the 60mm of mica granules already in the loft, they installed 270mm of glass fibre through a council scheme. All cavities in the orginal house were insulated with injected foam, and the cavities in the extension was insulated to the current building regulations. They also installed insulation above the ceiling of the bay window, installed insulation all around the bath inside the casing, and insulated all accessible pipes.

Pictured: Injecting foam insulation into their external cavity walls
 
Wind
Barry is a seaside town with strong winds and ideal for domestic wind generation. The Cozens house will shortly be one of the first in Britain to be fitted with a Windsave “plug and play” wind generator. The company is already using a picture of the house in their publicity. Derek is considering installing PV as a further project.

What were the main obstacles they encountered?
Although the wind turbine had been granted planning approval by the Glamorgan Borough Council it faced initial objection from the Barry Town Council which has the power to challenge planning decisions. Their main fear was that “it could set a precedent”- which, as Derek is keen to point out, is the whole point!  The installation of the wind generator has been long delayed and prices have been increased to cover the cost of bringing installers down from Scotland- all the problems of being a pioneer says Derek.

Otherwise the problems they have faced are those common to general building projects- delays and some issues with installers.

Where did they find the information
Derek spent a lot of time researching on the web and talking to experts including the Centre for Alternative Technology. He has built a particularly close and valuable relationship with the council’s energy officer, promoting their schemes and receiving advice and some funding in return.

Top Tips
1. Switch it off with your fingers!  Every day is different and you can’t predict energy use, so it makes best sense to control your own system. Derek always turns off lights when he leave the room and turns off all heating when the family leaves the house.
2. Be pro-active when looking for funding. Derek has very actively pursued every grant, subsidy and discount he can, offering to use his pioneer status to strongly promote the products.
3. Involve your kids. If you have children, eco-renovation can be very educational for them. They learn a lot and acquire new values.

Energy Savings
Building work continued through 2005, during which time energy consumption rose- as is usual during building work. It will be at least a year before the full performance of the changes can be knownand allowance will need to be made for the sizeable expansion of the size of the house and its high level of occupancy. The local authority energy officer is monitoring energy use. Derek is not intending to sit on his laurels and is already planning the next wave of energy saving ideas.

CONTACT
Derek Cozens can be contacted on boybentley@msn.com