CASE STUDIES Return to list of case-studies Green Designs - Grand Designs house makes underground savings with water-efficient WC The fourth series of Channel Four’s Grand Designs followed the story of eight new homes and the people who built them. One of the homes was an underground eco-house in Cumbria, being built by Phil and Helen Reddy. The couple were impressed by how environmentally friendly an earth-sheltered home could be, and soon found the ideal site for their dream house. The land they decided to build into was on an old quarry site that stood on a slope of the Eden valley in Cumbria. In April 2002, work on the house commenced, as well as the creation of a separate, single-storey building designed to house a clinic for Helen’s veterinary practice. Phil and Helen both feel strongly that protecting the environment is a long-term investment for the benefit of future generations. Phil said, "We cannot continue to use non-renewable sources of energy as if we alone matter, but our children do not. Nor can we keep using the earth’s precious and scarce resources at rates that are far higher than would be the case if they were equally distributed- as if we in the 'developed' world had rights that override those of other people in the world." The couple were keen to make the house as sustainable as possible; through using high levels of insulation and combining this with the natural insulation provided from the earth, they could avoid having to install any heating in the house. Photovoltaic tiles were laid along the edge of one wall, enabling the house to generate some of its electricity from natural sunlight, and three sun-pipes were fitted in to the roof, to draw in natural daylight. A reed-bed sewage system was created, so that waste could be purified organically on site, and the living room floor was made from reclaimed maple. Given that WCs represent the largest use of water in homes (around 30-40%), Helen and Phil also had to consider alternatives to standard WCs. They decided to install the Ifö Cera ES4, a low-flush toilet designed by water conservation specialists Elemental Solutions and supplied by Green Building Store. The ES4 has an ultra-low 4.5 litre flush, and is also one of the very few WCs on the market that has received independent verification from the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS). Phil said: "The best thing about the ES4 is that it appears to work like any other WC, but it does save water with every flush…it is an effortless way to minimise water usage." Kevin Mcloud, presenter of Grand Designs, has calculated that, as the average three-bedroom house produces 5-10 tons of ‘greenhouse gas’ a year, Helen and Phil’s eco-house will have paid back its carbon dioxide debt within fifteen years. After that, it will be costing the earth nothing, and if the performance of photovoltaic tiles continues to improve, the house may eventually sell solar energy back to the grid. Architect: John Bodger, Chartered Architect, Tel: 01768 864224 Contractors: John Trengrove, Barco Developments, Tel: 01768 867338 Clients: Helen and Phil Reddy, Email: mail@theundergroundhouse.org.uk Suppliers: Green Building Store (ES4 WC), Tel: 01484 461705, Web: www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk