optional systems
Further environmental systems that can be incorporated into your designs for an additional development cost.
wind turbine
these generate enough electricity to light your home for free
solar power
hot water roof systems and electricity generating photo voltaic cells can be fitted to your roof. Surplus electricity can then be sold back to the electricity generating companies reducing your power bills and requirements from carbon emitting generators
geothermal and ground source heat exchangers
underground temperature is a constant 10°C so we can install geothermal pipes running down to 300ft (ground conditions permitting) with a heat exchanger to harvest this free energy to heat your home. Ground source heat pump is a system that uses a system of pipes that are laid 3ft below the ground surface to collect solar energy to heat your home.
Combining all of these systems allows you to slash your running costs, reduce your carbon footprint and enjoy a beautiful structure.
gallery
Visit our gallery and see some extraordinary structures, from small garden rooms to beautiful unique homes through to inspirational community spaces. Get to know us, inside and out
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To further enhance this, all structures from Timberhouse come with the following environmental features fitted as standard;
rainwater harvest systems
Flush your toilets with rainwater collected off your roof and pumped into the attic space by a solar powered pump. Reduce your water load taken from the mains water system.
high performance insulation
80% of a structure’s heat loss is reducible by effective insulation. Timberhouse design over-performance in insulation as standard to reduce your energy needs and save on heating costs. Everything we design will over-perform against the current UK building regulations.
under-floor heating
Higher efficiency than traditional systems leading to greater comfort with lower energy consumption.
environmental performance
Timber construction offers the best and most sustainable environmental performance when compared to other construction methods. As timber is a carbon fixing material, it is possible to construct an extraordinary structure AND be carbon neutral. Cars are taxed for CO2 emissions, how long until your house is?
The ATHENA™ life cycle assessment software was used to compare the life cycle environmental effects of a 4,620 m2 (50,000 ft2) office building constructed using wood, steel or concrete as the main structural materials.
total energy use
The wood building used the least energy. The concrete option required 1.7 times the energy for wood. The steel option required 2.4 times the energy. Wood simply does not require much energy to manufacture.
greenhouse gases
The wood building had the lowest greenhouse gas emissions. The steel building generated 1.45 times and the concrete building generated 1.81 times the greenhouse gases for wood.
air pollution
The wood design had the lowest air pollution index. The steel building produced 1.42 times and the concrete building produced 1.67 times the air pollution index.
solid waste
The wood design had the lowest solid waste. This takes into account both manufacturing and on-site construction waste. Steel produced 1.36 times and the concrete produced 1.96 times the solid waste. This means there is virtually no waste during the manufacturing process and the use of engineered wood products has radically reduced the on-site construction waste.
ecological resource use
The wood design had the lowest ecological resource use index. Steel was 1.16 times and concrete was 1.97 times the index for wood. This factor compares the long-term effects of resource extraction. Although forestry affects a large area, reforestation means the effects are short term. Sustainable forest management practices help ensure that disruption is minimized.
