An Eco Friendly Home In The Shetlands With No Heating Necessary

A couple, Michael and Dot Rea, from Wiltshire decided to buy a house on the island of Unst, one of the most northerly inhabited Shetland Islands. It is on same latitude as Alaska and Southern Greenland, yet it is extremely cosy inside. The outside temperature in August barely gets above 14c and there is often a 100mph gale coming in off the North Sea. So how do they manage to keep the house so warm with relatively little costs?

The couple admit that even when there was snow on the ground they did not need to put the heating on, the timber framed house has sunlight streaming through its windows and Michael explains that insulation and heat recovery is the key. He believes that the easiest way to become zero-carbon is to use less green energy and not harness it. He wants to light the whole house with just 100 watts, the same amount used by a single traditional bulb, but in extreme weather conditions on the Island he hopes to use the same as having just three 100 watt bulbs on.

Michael's home is generating interest due to the high energy costs and the oil crisis, so much so that the housing and regeneration branch of the Scottish Government are using his house as a model for sustainable building and living. Officials in London are also monitoring the house as they want all new builds to be carbon neutral by 2016. China has also expressed interest as the area Guanzhou is to have 5,000 eco houses built there and may want to utilise some of Michael's innovations.

The house cost very little, the off the shelf timber frame flat pack cost just £37,000 to which they added a customised sun room at £3,500. It is made from Scandinavian redwood which is a renewable resource and chosen by Michael because it is lightweight which makes it easy to heat compared to traditional stone. Labour costs and the green technology used took the overall cost to £210,000. They did win sponsorship from companies so Michael estimates that the true cost would have probably been £270,000 without those.

He hopes to have all his energy for free, apart from maintenance costs. The couple stumbled upon their idea after talking with someone from the Energy Sustainable Development who suggested using their new project as a demonstration. The insulation is 140mm of Celotex foam that lines all of the walls and has aluminium foil on each face. This means that no heat is left in or out of the house. The windows of the house are filled with argon which is a gas that acts as an insulator, he only paid an extra £1,500 for this. The windows are also very large to allow radiant heat from the sun.

Planning caused rome problems for the couple and the weather added to them, also because of how remote the Island is they have to wait for certain things that anyone would take for granted when building a house. Such as their need for a digger, there is only one on the neighbouring Island of Yell and at the moment it is being used to build a car park for their Nature Reserve and so the couple just have to wait.

The quickest way to get to Unst is by flying to Sumburgh and then a further three hour drive, there is an airport there but the other way is quicker. Locals did think that the couple from Wiltshire were a bit strange but they were years ahead of many developers in terms of going green. Michael believes that new builds will never reach the new energy targets without having heat recovery systems which involves a heat exchanger. It replaces the used air from inside with fresh air from outside and therefore no heat is actually lost.

The house also has a fuel cell storage system which can store four and a half days of energy for the house. The house has LED lights instead of light bulbs and rainwater is used for the garden, washing machine and toilets. Wind turbines allow the house to be totally self sufficient which he believes gives the house 95% of its energy.

If you wanted to be totally self sufficient this house is a shining example of how it can be done. Michael grows his own food in the garden and even though it took a long time in the making it is now completely finished.

Stone Homes - The Environmentally Friendly and Aesthetic Habitat

Stone houses are environment friendly structures that display an aesthetic sense of its owner. Easily available, stone can be considered as one of the most durable construction materials with a wide range of texture options.

In ancient times, various civilizations made use of stone to build their houses. This was because stone was probably the only available building material excluding mud and trees. Even in the modern era, eco-friendly houses have gained immense popularity because of their magnificent properties. Houses constructed with the help of stones are capable enough to resist fire, wind, water as well as various insects including termites.

Some stone houses provide a natural, unique appearance that reminds one of the European castles.

To avail the maximum benefits of these artistic constructions, it is suggested to use durable stones such as granite and avoid stones the wear down over time, such as limestone. Furthermore, purchasing of previously chopped stone is a wiser alternate to escape from the time consuming and laborious phase of stone cutting. However, the top suited stone for home construction is one, which is available in the respective local area so that transportation does not become an issue.

Sustainability and durability adds an extra spark to the elegance of these stone homes without costing much for maintenance and care. There are many historical examples to speak about sustainability of simple yet graceful stone houses where they have witnessed many centuries.

Pyramids, made up of stone, attributed to be a one of the beautiful creators, across the world, are best examples to display stone's strength. Various historical stone buildings, especially constructed following the European-style stone houses have been around for thousand years and will probably remain the same for centuries.

Beside environmentally friendly abilities, stone homes also deserve a round of applause for their natural beauty that does not demand any painting or siding. In addition, the stone homes are comfortable nests and if constructed with passive solar design, they have ability to store heat within its walls. The absorbed heat is likely to radiate throughout the house, all night, creating a cozy and warm environment for the users. Above all stone homes are easy to clean and can be washed with simple water.

Proper planning as well as availability of a construction expert plays an important role to maximize stone home benefits. Furthermore, it is crucial to choose a quality stone along with proper technique to assemble them. It can be seriously harmful to choose an inferior quality stone that is not strong enough to support the required weight.

In spite of an array of benefits, the stone home owner also faces some difficulties with them. Customization is one such issue. For older homes, replacement of stones may present a particular challenge.

Some expensive stones, commonly used for flooring, including tiles may be cold and very hard under foot. It's not recommended to use softer stones because they are prone to strains, moisture and scratches.

All in all, however, the owners of stone homes are generally happy with the strength, durability, security, energy savings, environmental soundness and natural beauty of these structures.