Bill Powell

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Bill Powell

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I was Housing Portfolio Holder on N Warks Borough Council.   This made me aware that 97% houses are already built.  The real challenge is therefore to reduce the carbon footprint of existing houses.

I downsized to a 1957 semi in Stapleford where my mother had lived and took its modernisation as an energy reduction challenge.  My house is now 'SUPERHOME No 70' at the Sustainable Energy Academy.  I've held open days to show others.

My techniques include underfloor heating and fan assisted (ECOVECTOR) radiators to ensure I heat from below.  An EXHAUST AIR HEAT PUMP has, according to my estimates, saved me 80% of the heat needed in the very cold year Jan - Dec 2010.  I use a flueless gas fire as top up in severe weather.  That is more efficient than a gas boiler.

I believe there are business opportunities in these techniques:  They cost far less to install than the Passivhaus approach with its hermetic sealing and heat recovery ducting for ventillation.  Unlike other heat pumps, no outside work is required at all.  The effective 'coefficient of performance' (COP) is higher than for normal ground or air source heat pumps because the air entering is at a higher temperature.  The effect is really a combination of heat pump and heat recovery.  The energy cost and carbon footprint is therefore lower than for other heat pumps and also lower than for gas boilers.

All this however depends on correct installation and programming which are matters I can advise on based on my experience.

 

I also give talks on the HYDROGEN ECONOMY.  I'm convinced that one day carbon neutral gas will be delivered to fuel cells in our homes.  This will give us combined heat and power.  When combined with heat pumps the energy requirement will be very little indeed. 

Hydrogen will be generated from carbon free and carbon neutral sources including solar, wind, tides and from carbon neutral sources such as the gasification of biomass.  The greatly reduced energy requirement as described above will enable these sources to supply all the energy we need.

 

I have technical presentations of both HOME HEATING and the HYDROGEN ECONOMY which I'd like to present to interested parties.

History

Member for

4 years 23 weeks

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