Around an ongoing barn conversion project, this website draws together advice, information and references to aid all would-be and current barn and non-residential building converters and renovators.

Our approach takes on board 'healthy house', sustainable, ecological & environmental concepts to as great a degree as timescales and budgets allow.

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Latest Posts

BREEAM ~ Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method by mbc on May 11th, 2008

Microgeneration installations now 'permitted developments' by mbc on May 6th, 2008

Transition Town Llandeilo by mbc on May 4th, 2008

My Favourite Things ~ ‘Stone Wall’ by mbc on May 1st, 2008

Building Progress ~ April 2008 by mbc on April 29th, 2008

Latest Comments

On Peak Oil ~ what is it & what bearing does it have on green building? by Transition Town Llandeilo | my barn conversion on May 4th, 2008

On Where have all the builders gone? by mbc on April 28th, 2008
That's a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string' question miss dee ennis and obviously depends on location, the approach you take to the project (architect / main contractor / self-managed with sub-contractors etc.

On Where have all the builders gone? by miss dee ennis on April 28th, 2008
I am thinking of buying a barn for myself and would be gratfull if someone could give me a ballpark figure as to how much this is likly to cost .

On Project Management ~ Basecamp by Attention to detail… April 2008 update | my barn conversion on April 15th, 2008

On Heating & Hot Water - a solution? by Building Progress ~ March 2008, week 3 & 4 | my barn conversion on April 8th, 2008

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Solar Water Heating

March 13th, 2008 by mbc

Solar water heating systems use energy from the sun to heat water for use in the home. This water can be utilised for washing and general domestic uses as well as for heating purposes.

There are three main components:

1. Heat Collectors or Panels. The two main types are flat plate and evacuated tube both are normally fitted onto roofs but can be ground mounted. Evacuated tube systems use metal strip collectors in vacuum tubes and are the smaller but more expensive option. Flat plate systems use a dark coloured plate in an insulated container collect heat.
2. Heat transfer system. Transfers the collected heat to the water.
3. Hot water cylinder. This stores the heated water and supplies it onward to those systems that consume it.

In the UK, appropriately sized systems can provide up to 90 per cent of the hot water needs of a typical home.

Depending on specifics such systems should cost upwards of £1,000 in a new build domestic property with higher initial costs for a retro-fit. From recent research it should be possible to install system for £4,000-£5000 into the average home. Payback may be up to twenty years, but with current fuel price escalation this is likely to drop rapidly.

Designing a system to meet your needs will require consideration of supplementary heating systems, the site and its orientation to the sun (you will need some south-facing aspect), the heating & hot-water requirements of the buildings inhabitants and budget. As we in the UK are not overly endowed with sun during the winter months you will also need a supplementary heating system to provide hot water when the sun can’t - log, pellet, gas and multi-fuel burners and boilers can fulfil this role if configured correctly within the overall system.

If you enjoyed that post, then read these...

Photovoltaics on April 21st, 2008
Photo = light & voltaic = electricity Photovoltaics is a technology that utilises light to generate electricity.

Rainwater Harvesting on March 29th, 2007
Rainwater harvesting is one of those simple concepts that reminds us of old-fashioned sensibilities.

Pellet Stoves - a current evaluation on March 5th, 2008
I feel like I've somewhat misrepresented pellet stoves in the past.

Biomass Heating on October 1st, 2007
The term biomass heating refers to the combustion of plant based organic materials for the purpose of heating a volume of air.

Super Insulation on April 18th, 2007
Through recent technological innovations it is now possible to insulate buildings to such an extent that no heating system is required to maintain comfortable temperatures.

Posted in Systems of interest to barn converters |

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