Energy and Fuels
Living in the countryside we do not have mains gas but we do have a number of other energy sources in place, the combination of which is providing us with good fuel security and a buffer against energy supply interruption.
Our energy sources
(1) Our former heating oil tank has been replaced with an Air Source Heat Pump which uses 100% wind renewable electricity supplied by Ecotricity.
(2) Bottled Gas is stored in 2 x 19 Kg Bottles outside the kitchen and provides fuel for the Gas Hob for cooking.
(3) Wood logs were delivered in July, stacked and stored to fuel the Wood Burning Stove in the lounge in the winter months. With the arrival of the ASHP, the wood burning stove and the stock of firewood logs are retained only as backup in case of a winter power cut. We have only used the Stove three times since June 2021.
(4) Petrol is stored in 5 litre 'cans' and while mainly used to run the garden equipment, it also fuels a suitcase-size generator. In the event of an electricity power cut it can be linked to the central heating's electrical system to provide power to the boiler and the central heating clock. It will additionally generate enough power for a light or two, a PC and the TV for a few hours or as long as the petrol supply lasts.
Other alternatives
A few years ago we did research and assess adding a wind generator to the plot, but a local weather station's archive of local wind speeds indicated it would not be worthwhile. Instead we use Ecotricity's 
wind energy as our mains electricity supply.
Solar Panels to supply hot water for the sunniest 6 months of the year have been considered.,
Energy Efficiency Rating
We are pleased with our latest 2022 Energy Performance Certificate rating us as "C".
Having said that the EPC System is acknowledged to be flawed and is due for revision.
In our latest assessment the system marked us down as 'poor' as we use hot water from our recently installed all-electric Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) system. The logic is rightly that if you are heating your hot water using electricity then it is not nearly as efficient as using a gas or oil system or is electricity generated by solar panels.
However they have not yet updated that 'logic' to say that if the hot water is heated by ASHP
the unit generates 3 - 3.5 Kw of energy for every 1 Kw of electricity used by the system so it is highly efficient for heating water as well as running the Central Heating system. Overall now (2024) with additionally upgraded windows and flat roof installation we believe we should be "B" rated.
Of course, this rating only considers the space heating, hot water and lighting aspects of the building. Our initiatives on appliances and energy-saving behaviours are not reflected in the rating.