Saving energy costs with a woodburner

We have had some independent energy advise from a local Charity, Vision21. The various suggestions made and questions raised made us look again at a planned investment in new technology (An Air Source Heat pump) - see the previous post.
It actually made a lot of sense to go back to basics and utilise our (free) supply of fire wood from our garden for space heating, replacing a fire place (80% of energy produced  lost through the chimney) with a woodburner (Only 20% of energy produced is lost through the chimney).
With other words: A woodburner is a very efficient space heater and adds atmosphere and a focal point to our living spaces. We choose a 'Westfire Unique 26' for our Family Room - it looks great and throws out a massive amount of heat. Later this year we will replace an open fire in a small sitting room with an inset woodburner.
In a next post we will go into more detail about producing fire wood, the ins and outs of logging at home, short rotation cropping, types of wood that are suitable, and what tools are required.

Solar Photo-Voltaics - finally a decision!

We have finally made a decision on the installation of a Solar Photo-Voltaic system - we've gone for a 3.9Kwp system which will be installed on the 8th. November 2010. The four quotes we received varied widely in price, quality of components and warranties on offer. It makes sense to shop around and compare Brands, Warranties and prices.
We are looking forward to generating some of our electricity - and the 'Feed-in-Tariff' -the money we get paid by The Government to generate our own electricity- is a good incentive.

We changed our mind on the Air Source Heat Pump - from various sources we had reports that a lot of UK installations don't work, and the figures quoted by the various manufacturers don't really add up.  The issue was that currently we use mains Gas for space heating, which is approx. 1/3 of the cost of electricity. The Air Source Heat Pump needs to run on electricity and has an Energy Coefficient of 1:3.5 . In itself 1:3.5 is great - but if our space heating by Gas has to be replaced by electricity we see no real gains. Yet.
Therefore we'll look at this technology again in a year or so.

Gold found in The Cotswolds!

Cotswold Gold is a new business formed at the end of 2009 by Charlie Beldam and Lawrence Millett-Satow after their graduation from the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. The aim is to produce high quality rapeseed oil for culinary use and also utilize the waste product into a renewable energy thus allowing the company to be carbon neutral whilst operation a zero waste policy. The rape is grown and the oil is bottled on their farm in the heart of the Cotswolds. The Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil has many health benefits compared to other oils on the market, these are maintained in the oil because of the traditional cold pressing method- just like high quality virgin olive oils.

The benefits of this rape seed oil are:

• Grown and bottled in the heart of the Cotswolds                
• Less than half the saturated fat of olive oil
• The oil is 100% British                 
• It is GM free
• Low food miles as it is grown and bottled on the farm                 
• Has a unique and delicious flavour
• Low in cholesterol                       
• Is suitable for high repeat temperature cooking
• A vibrant golden colour                           
• Good for you and the environment
• Good source of Omega 3                        
• Source of Vitamin E
• Delicious for Frying, Marinades, Roasting and Dressings

The product has won 1 gold star at the Great Taste Awards 2010 - Cotswold Gold Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil brings a new healthy, versatile and unique flavour to our breakfast, which is cooked with rape seed oil and Cotswold Gold.

A TREE AT YOUR SERVICE!

We had never heard of a ‘Service Tree’  but when we read about it we decided to plant one in our mini-woodland. (See illustration).

Sorbus torminalis (The Wild Service Tree), sometimes known as the Chequers Tree is a species of Sorbus native to Europe from England and Wales east to Denmark and Poland, south to northwest Africa, and southeast to southwest Asia from Asia Minor to the Caucasus and Alborz mountains.

The Service Tree is relatively rare in Britain is now usually confined to pockets of ancient woodland, although it can also be found growing in hedgerows. It can often be found associated with oak and ash woods, preferring clay and lime based soils. In Britain, summer temperatures are often too low for the seeds to ripen, so its principal method of propagation is by suckers.

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The fruit, sometimes called "chequers", are edible and taste similar to dates, although they are now rarely collected for food. They are usually too astringent to eat until they are over-ripe and blotted. They were traditionally known as a herbal remedy for colic; the tree's Latin name, ‘torminalis’ means 'good for colic'. Before the introduction of hops, the fruit were used to flavour beer, which may be related to the ancient symbol of a pub being the chequer-board. There is a great deal of folklore surrounding the fruits but it is somewhat confused. The fruits can be made into an alcoholic drink and were used to flavour alcoholic drinks such as whisky in the same way that sloe gin is made with blackthorn berries.

Picture of a solar voltaic panel on a roof

Solar Voltaic panel - part of a Micro CHP System

Homelands to generate its own electricity?

In between looking after our guests or working in the garden we are currently doing some research into Combined Heat and Power systems, or ‘Micro CHP’.

Basically this means we want to install a system that doesn’t just produce hot water and heat the house, but also generates electricity for our own use.  If we generate more than we need it will be fed back into the National Grid, for which we will get paid a Government guaranteed rate. Guaranteed for 25 years…tax free.  Currently there are generous Government-backed schemes available which offer a very good rate of return on investment.  This is because the UK Government has certain targets to meet and they are struggling to achieve those targets unless a lot more people buy-in to the principle that generating electricity at the point of use is the most efficient.

Some 70% of energy created by power stations is ‘lost’ in transit. The small home Micro systems have a far higher efficiency rate (only some 20% is lost) and therefore they are the logical answer to the required reduction in CO2 output to which the UK Government has committed itself.

Our current thinking is to install a Solar Photo Voltaic system (Solar panels on the roof that generate electricity) combined with a high efficiency boiler which has the Sterling engine fitted into it.

The interesting thing is that at the heart of these boiler systems is the 200 year old design of the Sterling Engine, which uses waste heat to converts into electricity- at a very efficient rate.

We are getting competitive quotations right now, will attend a Business Link workshop in a few weeks time to learn more, and hope to make a decision by the middle of September. More news soon!

Announcing the winner of the Eco-quiz on the 27th. June 2010

We would like to thank all guests who attended our 'Open Day' and  BBQ on Sunday the 27th. June. Some of you will remember the day because England was knocked out of the World Cup. We will remember the day as one of superb weather and a good time with locals, neighbours, family and friends old and new. We also like to thank you all for the lovely presents: Flowers, plants, wines, chocolates, cards.... sadly we lost track which present was from whom - but thank you all so much!

We were rather overwhelmed by the amount of Eco-quizzes completed and returned to us. Checking the answers has been entertaining - and sad as well. Entertaining because of some very funny answers, for example Q19: 'Recharged Batteries'. Hmm (Thank you Helen. Very funny. No, really).  Sad because of the truly heartbreaking level of general knowledge shown with regards to the issues relating to Global Warming. With one or two exceptions of course - therefore well done to the winners and runner ups!

So..let's just quickly run through the questions and answers:

Eco-quiz: ‘Open day’ Sunday the 27^th. June ‘10

Welcome to Homelands!  Please take a walk in the garden and take part in this Eco-quiz. You can win a great prize: A voucher for 1 night B&B in our best       King Size Double en-suite room, ‘Sudeley’, value £90,                                            for yourself or for you to give away to visiting friends and family.

Tips to help you complete this: Visit our website www.cotswoldsaccommodation.net and our Eco-Blog www.homelandsbedandbreakfast.blogspot.com ; walk round the garden and see for yourself; Google it; guess, cheat, or ask our resident Zoologist!

1. The purpose of the 2 wooden crates to the left near the hedge is: Compost wormery.
2. Name 2 of the varieties of tomatoes grown at Homelands: Correct answers are: Italian Plum, Losetto, Beafsteak, Shirley.
3. How many bat boxes have been placed in the trees? 3
4. Write down the registration number of the barn-owl box: 2383
5. Why is it important to leave some piles of old logs to rot? Habitat for insects, small mammals, toads.
6. Estimate the amount of tadpoles swimming in the pond: Using the scientific method of extrapolating we estimate approx. 1,500
7. The ‘conservation grade’ seed mixture used for the meadow is called: Pollen & Nectar mix
8. How many newly planted willows are still alive? 6
9. What is the purpose of the plastic around the base of the new willows?  Protection against deer and rabbits.
10. What type of fruit is grown on the second small fruit tree on the left? Cherries
11. Which hemi-parasitic plant is found in our orchard? Mistletoe
12. The damage caused to the patio is because of an important archaeological dig, exposing a so far unknown Roman Mosaic. True or False? False.
13. Guess the annual energy bill for Homelands! (Your guess is as good as ours!) Every answer was awarded 1 point.
14. Why does growing timber and using it for fire wood not contribute to Global Warming? Energy from burning timber is carbon-neutral.
15. Name the species of deer often seen drinking from our pond: Muntjac
16. Which species of pigeon has a 5-toned song? Woodpigeon.
17. Erik ‘harvests wild food’. Hmm. What are they talking about? Correct answers are any of these: Mushrooms, berries, elderflower, nuts, game, rabbits, woodpigeons, grey squirrels.
18. Why are hedges so important for wildlife? Shelter from predators, habitat, nesting, source of food.
19. How do you call chickens rescued from a commercial farmer towards the end of their intensive production life? Rescue chickens.
20.  What do you call the archaeological feature of equally sized strips of medieval farmland still visible in the garden? Ridge and Furrow.
21. Which type of insect does Nikki plan to keep? Honey bees.

1.  AND THE WINNERS ARE..........

In 3rd. Place: Mr Ed Reilly with 14 points
Runner-up: MT Green with 17 points
But in 1st. Place: Maggie Richards with 19 points!

Many congratulations Maggie - we will post you a voucher you can use for family or friends...or for a romantic night away from home for you and Ian!