Off The Grid or Off The Wall? - 24 January 2007

Off The Grid or Off The Wall?

Mike Waddington of Naish Waddington architects (who has recently put his money where his mouth is, and installed solar water heating panels to his own house) explains how you can make your home more environmentally friendly.

 

 

So you want to become an eco-warrior? Many of us will remember the 1970’s sit-com “The Good Life” and Tom & Barbara’s idea of being self-sufficient in suburbia, but how possible is it to create a totally energy self-sufficient house in Jersey? How possible is it go “Off The Grid”?

Let’s assume you own a standard 4-bedroom house, perhaps un-modernized, and look what is possible.

Essentially there are two strands to the philosophy of sustainability when it comes to buildings: “passive” and “active”. Passive approaches to environmental control are often very traditional and include the orientation of a building to shelter it from prevailing winds, or to make the best use of the sun, natural ventilation, better insulation and so on. Indeed if we combine large areas of South West facing glazing with traditional heavy materials like granite, we can take advantage of free heating (passive solar gain) from winter sunshine- anyone who has spent a summer evening on the beach at Ouaisne, might have felt the warmth of the sea wall energised by a full day’s sunshine.

Other simple measures which can be easily incorporated into your house are low-energy bulbs, perhaps even automatic switches, dual flush wc’s, rainwater harvesting for garden irrigation and even using the bath water (known as ‘grey water’) to flush the toilets. All of these contribute significantly to reducing carbon emissions, and over a period of time will save you money on your monthly energy bills.

Arguably much more exciting, “active” strategies to save energy or more particularly to actually generate it are now a practical reality. However, before you consider these, there is one universal truth; there is always an upfront cost, and the period of ‘payback’ needs careful thought. And as the States of Jersey currently offer little financial incentive to ‘going green’, unless you are a save the planet freak, I suggest the cost-benefit analysis is the place to start- and here’s a quick review of some of the more talked-about scenarios, applied to a typical 4-bedroom house:

Solar Water Heating Roof Panels     Installation Cost: £4,000.00
Payback Period Estimate:            15 years
A single panel can heat all of your domestic water in the Summer and contribute significantly in winter. If you have a swimming pool, adding more panels will cut your heating costs and allow better year round use.

Solar Electricity Generating Panels     Installation Cost: £10,000.00    
Payback Period Estimate:            25 years
This is based on a 2kW system generating 1500kW hours per year, without battery storage. The electricity is either used domestically or put back into the UK grid and you get a rebate on you bill. In Jersey it is important to realise that the JEC will buy back your solar electricity, but only at the price they pay for European imported nuclear generated electricity.

Domestic Wind Generation        Installation Cost: £7,000.00
Payback Period Estimate:            20 years
This is based on one of the larger 3-4kW wind turbines. In the UK Planning Permission is difficult to get if you have neighbours close by, as the turbines make noise. Hence in Jersey wind generation might only be practical in very rural areas.

Geothermal Heating/Cooling System     Installation Cost: £8-17,000.00    
Payback Period Estimate:            15-20 years
Using heat pumps and the same principle as a refrigerator, the costs vary considerably. If you have a large plot of field the ground source pipework can be laid in trenches, which is cheaper. On tighter sites, however, the pipes need to be drilled deep into the ground costing more. This system has the advantage of providing a constant source of energy, unlike solar or wind power which clearly is not always available.

Combined Heat & Power             Installation Cost: £5-7,000.00    
Payback Period Estimate:            Energy Bills can be reduced by 40-60%
The principle is that a gas or oil- fuelled engine drives a generator that produces electricity. The units are quiet and can fit into a normal kitchen, rather like a dishwasher, and can run on bio-diesel. Each kilowatt of CHP produced electricity creates 2 kilowatts of usable heat energy, stored as hot water usable directly for central heating, hot domestic water, or indirectly for air conditioning.

Note: Information is from UK manufacturers, is approximate and will vary depending on specific circumstances. It seems clear, however, that global energy costs are likely to rise, consequently the estimated payback periods may well be reduced.

 

 


 

There are a number of reputable companies in Jersey who will install and maintain renewable energy systems, and most will offer you some free initial advice. Remember also that Planning Consent is required for most roof panels and wind turbines, and listed historic buildings may subject to additional restrictions.

There is no question, with ever diminishing fossil fuels and the growing global concern about climate change, that sustainable and responsible environmental buildings will become a reality if not in our generation then in our childrens’. Perhaps completely Off The Grid houses are not yet a practical reality, but those with a substantially smaller carbon footprint are quite possible- indeed Jersey could, and should, quite easily become a centre of sustainable excellence. Our Council of Ministers should provide proper financial incentives and remove red tape to make this a realistic possibility.

Ultimately, however, it will rely on individual Islanders to embrace the philosophy of protecting our environment, lobby States members to provide tax-breaks and other incentives, and all do our homework on the cost benefits involved.

And if you do decide to venture closer to going Off The Grid, you will be a true eco-pioneer and the environmental envy of your neighbours……..but don’t forget to park the Porsche round the back!