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Eco house is a great success
• MORE than 1,500 people have now visited the Camden eco house since it was opened to the public in July.
During Open House weekend, September 20-21, 890 people looked round it. It’s proof, if proof were needed, that people want to see how a Victorian property can be refurbished to reduce carbon emissions by 80 per cent. What’s more, as far as I can tell from looking through nearly 1,000 questionnaires, Mike Wells is the only visitor who didn’t appreciate the Camden eco house (Need for a lead on eco-living, September 25).
I agree with Mr Wells that the double-glazing we fitted was expensive and that you can find cheaper double-glazed replica sash windows. However, since the units were donated to Camden Council, we weren’t really in a position to complain about the list price. All the eco measures in the house were paid for by outside donors who are interested in assessing whether they will really reduce the emissions by 80 per cent. So yes, Mr Wells, they were a present from the tooth fairy.
Mr Wells complains that internal wall insulation “reduces the size of every room”. Actually it only needs to be fitted on exposed walls and since most Victorian houses in Camden are terrace properties they only have one exposed wall per room. Almost every one of the 200 or so people I have shown round the eco house was surprised by how little space you actually end up losing.
Mr Wells berates the council for not installing “grey water” recycling from baths and showers for use in the toilets. I would love to have done this but it simply doesn’t make financial sense in a residential retrofit. All new developments in Camden now have to install rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling.
And if you are refurbishing a large office building you will probably find that it makes sense. But it would have cost about £10,000 to install a dual pipe system in the eco house to allow grey water recycling and that would never have paid itself back.
I do not pretend every aspect of the eco house is perfect. The pipework in the boiler cupboard is messy. The localised heat exchangers should have gone in the bathroom and the kitchen. And I would have liked to have retained the cornicing or at least a copy of it. But overall I think it’s a phenomenal success.
There is one thing I completely agree with Mike Wells about. I would like to see the council lending money for insulation and double-glazing to householders and private landlords or their tenants. We could then recoup a proportion of the energy bill saving through the council tax.
Visit the house at 17 St Augustine’s Road this Sunday or next from 2pm to 5pm and make your own mind up.
CLLR ALEXIS ROWELL
Camden Eco Champion &
Chair, Camden Sustainability Task Force
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