key topics

Added to this section are a number of ‘key topics’. At this stage of the blog, you will not find much reference to solar thermal panels, photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, heat pumps, or renewable technologies in general. The philosophy for this project is to take a fabric first approach, i.e. deal with all the insulation, thermal bridges and airtightness issues first. Proportionally, 75% of our total annual energy is for space heating. By adopting a fabric first approach, our investment in insulation will yield greater savings in energy terms than fitting renewable technologies could deliver.

I am not against micro-generation, or other technologies, and of course, a design strategy needs to be considered holistically. For example, we are fitting a mechanical ventilation system, to match our airtightness strategy. At this stage, it is not possible to quantify the benefit, e.g. payback period, of other technologies and feel these investment decisions need to be made further down the road, once we have reduced our energy demand as much as possible.

Please visit the sub pages to this section for an overview of the current key topics.