Victorian mansion gets a green McMakeover

Take a video tour of a drafty British town house that has been given a complete eco-retrofitting.

Tue, Feb 17 2009 at 1:21 AM

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Okay, the title is a play on words: The house in question is not a mansion — it’s a typical Victorian town house in Nottingham, England — and there’s nothing “Mc” about the home’s laborious, emission-slashing retrofitting.

In an earlier post today, I question whether building a super-sized new home with eco-friendly features can be considered “green.” What about retrofitting a leaky, average-sized old home with eco-friendly friendly features? Does that pass the test? Yes, it does, and the proof is in the video:

See? A drafty old dog of a house can learn new tricks with the right amount of time, effort, and, as the Guardian points out, money. Homeowners Penny Poyzer and Gil Schalom put in an uncommonly remarkable effort — 10 years and £30,000 just on energy improvements — towards creating their Nottingham Ecohome. The result? A nearly carbon-free living environment with annual gas bills of £20 (about 30 US dollars). Not only are Poyzer and Schalom recouping their investment, but they're dramatically curbing household carbon emissions.

Part of the Sustainable Energy Academy and National Energy Foundation’s Old Home Superhome project, the Nottingham Ecohome boasts LED lighting, a rainwater harvesting system, wood burning boiler, low-flush toilets, a "thermal envelope" of super-thick insulation, an organic garden, a composting chamber and more.

Via [The Guardian]

Thumbnail image: Nottingham Ecohome

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