|
WHAT is Light
House?
Project Light House aims to
make homes in two UK Villages carbon neutral by 2012.
Our initial pilot project is aimed at 50 - 60 homes and our
ultimate goal is reach over 3,000 homes within the next few
years. Project Light House does exactly what the name
implies: it Lights your House using clean renewable energy.
HOW?
 We will be installing two Solar Panels (Photo
Voltaic) on each roof, or on poles in the garden if that's
appropriate. These PV panels convert the sun's energy
into electricity. That energy is stored in batteries for use
at night. An inverter converts the 12 volts from the
batteries into useable 240 volt household current to power the
house lights.
There is no new house wiring
needed, no maintenance to the batteries or equipment, and no
change to the way your home's lights work or look. The
big difference is that your house lights will now be off-grid
and you won't be paying an electric bill for their use.
And, of course, your home's lighting will be
carbon-free!
Is That All?
 No!
While we may take your lighting off-grid the rest of your home
still needs electric power for other things - refrigerator,
TV, cooker, washing machine, etc. So, we are also
installing wireless electric monitors that tell you
how much electricity the rest of your home is using from
the national grid at any moment and how much that will cost
you. This is a proven way to
help people cut their electric use.
And, we are also including special remotely
controlled sockets that allow you to turn OFF those 'standby'
loads, like TV's and DVD players, whenever you are not using
them. Because these devices draw power 24 hours per day,
they can add substantially to your home electricity costs and
adds to your home's carbon footprint.
Last,
but not least, we will also do a complete household energy
survey to help you identify other ways to save energy
and lower your bills. This will help you to weigh the benefits
and costs of increasing insulation, eliminating drafts, and changng wasteful habits.
In some cases, we may also be able to advise you about grants
to pay for materials and labour.
CO2 Savings?
 We
expect electicity-based savings
of 600 - 813 kg CO2 per site,
or a total of 30-40 tonnes/year for all 50 sites in Phase I
of the project. However, using other conservation/emission reduction
methods and following recommendations published by the United
Nations, we are developing practical techniques to make those 50
homes 100% carbon neutral. Details of this part of
the programme will
be announced officially in September 2008. If
successful, Project Light House will demonstrate that
communities with older housing stock can become carbon neutral
quickly, without major expense
or inconvenience.
... more
|
