Background to the project
Our zero carbon house is being built on the island of Unst, Britain’s most northerly island in the UK. We have owned the site on which we are building since 1983. The original building was the Unst headquarters for Alexander Sandison Ltd (still trading on the island to this day) which included a shop, a chandlery, a sail making/repair and net repair service and two ovens for baking bread. Prior to this it was also home to the Old Batavia hotel.
Sadly, in 1992, the island was hit by hurricane force winds and the building was so badly damaged that we were ordered to take it down completely, leaving us with just a brownfield site.
This occurence hastened a new beginning. We decided to build a new and completely different house on the site and set out off to Canada and Scandinavia, as well as areas of the UK, for ideas.
After much research, we opted for an off-the-shelf house from Scotframe - a company based in Inverurie, Scotland, whose houses were found to be the most efficient and easy to heat.
In 2001, we met Dr Jeff Kenna, Chief Executive of Energy for Sustainable Development, now an AIM-listed company and one of the largest sustainable energy consultancies with offices throughout the world. When Dr Kenna learned of our plans to build on the most northerly isle of Shetland, he suggested that we should build an eco house.
This idea struck a chord and we started researching the technology that would be required for such a project. By this time we had moved back to Unst so our research was done remotely by telephone and email.
Together with Dr Kenna, we put together a proposal to the Carbon Trust for funding but this was turned down at the time for being “too innovative”. It was at this point that we decided to fund the project by seeking private sponsorship. Since then, companies have been coming forward to help, either financially or by providing discounted services, to get the house up and running.
We are eternally grateful for all of our sponsors’ support - the project could not have happened without them.
Benefits of the project
Our carbon neutral home lowers the carbon footprint in many ways. First and foremost, it produces its own energy, storing it via a flow battery/fuel cells. In addition, an electric vehicle will be used for transportation and, as we are generating our own energy in order for the vehicle to recharge, the need for fossil fuels is removed.
Food will be grown in high-tech greenhouses using a hydroponic growing medium and LEDs which use only a small amount of energy to manipulate the plants and extend the growing period.
Later this year, 2008, we will be using a thermal imaging camera to check the thermal properties of the house for leakage etc. We will then be applying for an EU Gold Certification and a Certificate. To date, only 850 of these have been issued in Europe.
As well as the obvious benefits to the environment, it is hoped that the Zero Carbon House project will benefit the island of Unst by helping to raise the profile of a fragile island community. The house is attracting tourists and a great deal of media attention already including a write-up on Google, one of the world’s largest search engines.
It is also hoped that the house will be a useful study vehicle for schools and universities in the years to come, giving students the opportunity to view a real eco-house, meet the people who live in it and gain regular access to the energy usage data which will be updated daily on this website. 10 university students are participating in the project already using zero carbon as a baseline for their extensive MSc and PhD studies.