Beaufort, Telford - 20th, 26th and 27th October

Property details

Home to the largest domestic solar array in Shrophire! Brick bungalow built in 2003 with rock wool cavity wall insulation. We also have a nationally recognised collection of carnivorous plants.

What changes have been made?

Everything in the house runs off renewable electricity, including our heating and hot water thanks to the air source heat pump (ASHP). The heat pump, which feeds into the underfloor heating, replaced a gas boiler. We always wanted to have solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and had some at our previous house, so it was the first thing we did when we moved here in 2017. We fitted 48 solar PV panels equating to 14.22kWp, a Telsa Powerwall battery and 2 electric cars with 2 Zappi charging points. An Eddi hot water immersion system was installed which is synchronised with the solar, Powerwall battery and car chargers. Our loft insulation was topped to 310mm, and triple glazed windows were fitted to adequately insulate the home.

What have been the approximate energy savings?

We pay no standing charge for gas anymore, having been disconnected from the gas grid, saving us £130 per year. Having electric vehicles (EV) qualifies us for Octopus’ Intelligent Go tariff, which is a real gamechanger combined with the battery. It gives us 6 hours electricity overnight at a cheap rate, currently 7.5p per kWh. During the summer we hardly use grid electricity at all as our battery is usually full by 10am from the solar panels, so we export to the grid and get paid 15p per kWh. With 2 electric cars no penny is spent on petrol or diesel. We actually make money on our energy bills, getting roughly £120 per year.

What have been the benefits to you and your home?

We are more than pleased with the ASHP, it has been so efficient, and our home does not require a lot of heating as it is so well insulated. The changes we have made mean we can live comfortable without causing harm to the environment and saving a lot of money as a result.

For more information, please see attached PDF.

Additional information

(PDF, 290kB)