A FATHER transformed an old farmhouse into a carbon neutral home.
And he enjoyed it so much that he has set up his own business helping others to go green at home.
Duncan Walpole’s house on Cop Hill Side in the Pennines above Slaithwaite produces all of its own energy on site using renewable technologies.
And the father-of-two told It’s Our World that the majority of Huddersfield’s homeowners could also benefit from similar low cost and low carbon technologies.
Duncan, 49, said: “As fuel prices rise there is now a real chance to save money and the environment at the same time.
“There are so many houses around here that are still running on oil which is so expensive and oil prices are still rising.
“Things like just swapping oil for a heat pump is a no-brainer.”
Duncan, who managed the grounds at Oakwell Country Park for seven years, lives with wife Liz Morgan and sons Thomas, 18 and Alex, 14.
A 6kw wind turbine in the garden produces enough electricity for the whole family’s needs.
Hot water is generated via two solar thermal panels on the roof and the house is heated entirely by underfloor heating generated from ground source heat pumps.
A ground source heat pump extracts heat from the ground to heat water. It works by circulating a mixture of water and anti-freeze around a loop of pipe – called a ground loop – which is buried in the garden.
When the liquid travels around the loop it absorbs heat from the ground then uses it to heat radiators and underfloor heating systems. Beneath the surface, the ground stays at a constant temperature, so a pump can be used throughout the year.
Duncan said: “I didn’t think it could be true that you could extract temperature from the ground but you can – it’s like black magic.
“We’ve had no problems with it since I put it in five years ago.
“Before you install a heat pump though you have to make sure your house is properly insulated and up to modern building regulations or else all the heat will be lost.
“And on a sunny day the solar panels heat enough water for the whole family for three or four days.”
Duncan was able to buy the renewable technologies for his home with the help of government grants.
The wind turbine cost him £18,000, the heat pump was £5,000 and the solar panels were £1,500.
The estimated pay-back is over a five year period.
He said: “It took me one year to do the whole house – I gave up my job to do it.
“I really enjoyed it and the demand for this sort of thing is growing.
“I thought it would be really different for homeowners to give them a service where they could talk to some-one and help them choose what was the right renewable technology to install in their home or business and then help them with the installation.
“So I got the full MCS accreditation and real assurance I needed so that I could help people make the most of the favourable grants and tariffs that are around at the moment.”
For more information about Duncan’s business, which is called Enviromental, visit www.enviromental.org.ukor call 07970 554567.
