Will Anderson's 'Tree House'
Clapham, London, UK
Five years ago, Will Anderson set himself the very ambitious task of building a zero carbon, self-sufficient house, in a built-up urban environment.
One of the key drivers in the planning stage was to ensure that not only the house itself, but also the methods used to build it, were sustainable and energy efficient.
“That was a very tough goal for this particular site as it’s very constrained, we had no southern aspect, and it is in a built up area; so we knew at the beginning that we’d only be able to achieve the goal if we built a house that was extremely low energy,” explains Will.
Wind power was not an option. The built-up nature of his site meant that the wind would be turbulent and ineffective. Meanwhile wood burning boilers were ruled out for similar reasons: a lack of constant wood supply thanks to the urban area.
“By far the best energy source for us, here in a built up environment, was the sun. It’s there, why not just grab it?” , said Will. Of course, the lack of a southerly aspect to his plans presented a further challenge. The solution came in the form of a solar PV roof.
Will continued: “Solar power is a very attractive technology. Because it’s so low maintenance and reliable, you can install it and it carries on with the job. It’s not mechanical like solar thermal, so once it’s working it just carries on – you can install it and then simply forget about it.”
Solar PV is a clean, reliable and plentiful alternative to electricity. Solar PV works differently to solar thermal systems, and can be five times more effective in delivering carbon reductions, not to mention considerably cheaper – saving up to £3 per kg of CO2. Over ten years, a typical domestic solar PV system in the UK will save over 9 tonnes more CO2 than its solar thermal equivalent.
Will said: “There are so many issues about how to supply renewable energy, so you have to be very site specific in thinking about what resources there are on a particular project. District heating, solar or wind? There are all different choices that the majority of people are not very familiar with. There are people who’ve been doing this for
some time, so there is expertise out there to draw on in finding the right solution.”
Using a reliable solar energy solution company that can offer a comprehensive service offering will ease the design and installation process on any build project. From planning the design with the architect, to installing the rain screen, the modules and inverters, to commissioning the project, Solar PV is the simplest and reliable renewable technology available. As Will Anderson says,
“it’s just nice to know that you’re generating your own energy, you’re not reliant on fossil fuels and, in my case, there are no energy bills at all.”
| Date commissioned | 22/09/2005 |
| Technology |
Solar PV |
| Installation Type |
Pitched roof |
| System size (kWp) | 4.94 |
| Forecast electricity generation / year (kWh) | 4,450.00 |
| Panel area (m2) | 30.00 |
| Building integrated |
Yes |
| Forecast CO2 saving / year (kg) | 2,527.60 |
| Energy produced (kWh) | 7,766.00 |
| Date of last energy reading | 19/06/2007 |
| Type of project |
Residential |
