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Sustainability

Ground source heat pump heating system

A new extension, East Hallsannery, was built in 2002 to provide additional
accommodation and meeting facilities for the field centre. To make the building
more sustainable it was decided to go for a heating system which used a renewable resource. The ground acts as a huge store of heat (with the input principally from solar heat) and can this can be extracted using a heat exchanger.
This type of system is used widely in Europe though has yet to catch on in
this country despite the many advantages:

Technical: Greatly reduced CO2 emissions
De-centralisation of power supply: no need to supply fuel nation-wide
Economic: Greatly reduced transportation risks and costs
Short to medium term pay back time
Low operating costs (no oil or gas purchase)
Reduction of carbon tax for domestic and industrial property
Affordable and efficient (1 kW in, up to 4 kW out)

At Hallsannery we have placed 'slinky' coils in three trenches in the fields adjoining the house, these have water pumped around them which absorbs ground heat.
This is transported back to the ‘GeoKitten’ heat exchanger ( Kensa Engineering, Falmouth, Cornwall)

This extracts the heat and this is linked to an
 underfloor heating system to heat the house.
 The system does require some electricity to
drive the pumps and the heat exchanger but
 this is offset by the heat energy gained.
The system does work and provides a lovely warm house

For every 1 kW electrical energy used to run the system, between 2 and 4 kW heat transferred into the domestic heating

Supplies
Local produce is used wherever possible. The policy of the Centre is to avoid the use of GM foods.

Field site use
The Centre attempts to minimise it's impact on the local environment by using sensitively e.g. by rotating use of field sites to avoid excess trampling, leaving no litter.

Recycling
The Centre recycles drinks cans, food cans, plastics and paper and composts vegetable waste where appropriate. Recycling bins are placed at strategic locations in the Centre.

Lighting :
Low energy light bulbs used throughout the Centre. Electricity supplies are on an EDF Green tariff sourced from renewables.

Light tubes

The new building has two light tubes which bring light through mirrored tubes to potentially dark corridors and kitchen areas

 

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