Introduction This is a very specific quite technical post related to the Intelligent Octopus Go electricity tariff and the free open source smart home technology Home Assistant. However, this question comes up almost daily on many different community forums related to EVs, EV Chargers, Home Energy, Heat Pumps, and Octopus; so I thought it time […]
Category Archives: Energy Efficiency
Posts and case studies to appear on the energy efficiency page. See also sub categories
22
Nov
Nov
Earlier this week the Department for Net Zero surprised many people by quietly expanding the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) grant to include Air to Air Heat Pumps and Heat batteries. The reason for the surprise was in the run up to the budget all the leaked announcements indicated the budget would means test the BUS […]
22
Oct
Oct
So it’s a one year since we had a heat pump installed in our 1930s three bedroom semi-detached home in Chippenham. Are the myths true? Did it work on a leaky 1930s house that isn’t that well insulated? Has it cost us a fortune to run? Are the neighbours walking around with ear defenders on? […]
08
Jun
Jun
This interesting case study is written for us by Mark Harris of Melksham. It demonstrates how a large domestic solar installation can take you off grid for much of the year. Mark’s installation didn’t come through the Zero Chippenham Community solar scheme, but we do cover the Melksham area. Mark tells us his experience… Background […]
12
May
May
It’s been a beautiful sunny month in Chippenham and a great month for solar generation. In this post and video our solar admin Matthew takes a look at the different strategies he uses to make the best of that FREE solar electricity and minimise household energy bills. Introduction I first installed solar on our house […]
10
Jan
Jan
Background In October 2024 we finally replaced our Worcester Greenstar combi boiler with an Octopus Heatpump installation of a Daikin Altherma 3 monoblock Airsourced Heat-pump and 180 litre hot water tank. So two months on how well does it work? Is it keeping the house warm? Is it costing more or less money to run? […]
02
Jan
Jan
In this case study Kev Matthews tells us how he’s navigated the Wiltshire Planning system on his journey to install an Air Source Heat Pump in his Calne home… …With the Boiler Upgrade Scheme from the UK government contributing £7500 (England and Wales) towards the cost of installation, it’s never been a been a better […]
26
Nov
Nov
We hope you enjoy this post from Zero Chippenham’s James Bradbury on how he’s saving money and carbon in his home by ‘load shifting’. The post is kindly taken with permission from James’s website Introduction Domestic energy use costs money and causes carbon emissions. You may wish to reduce both. One way is to add […]
17
Nov
Nov
Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery (MVHR) is technology that’s typically only installed on highly air-tight and insulated new build Passivhaus standard houses. Even bulk house builders will revert to trickle air vents for ventilation rather than install this technology. So is it possible to perform a relatively inexpensive DIY installation on an old leaky house […]
07
Nov
Nov
Our home is a 1970’s 4 bed in Monkton park (extended from 3-bed in the 90s) and we have been there since 2022 – we love our home and wanted to make it more sustainable! The house has solar PV, a battery and a heat pump, as well as an electric car charger. When we […]