“The House is Comfortable Throughout the Year”

Having lived in draughty period properties for much of their lives, Carol and David Spenser were keen to live in an energy-efficient home. So when they came to convert this barn ( above), they were looking to incorporate a renewable heat source. With guidance from local green energy specialist Hudsons Electrical, they chose a ground source heat pump system, with two small boreholes drilled to a depth of 140m; the system now provides a cost-free heating system. “We weren’t keen on air source heat systems as they can be noisy and we were advised against a conventional horizontal buried loop system,” says Carol. “Although we’ve retained five acres and have plenty of space, we were aware that in future we might want to sell that land. Someone asked each of us independently what our favourite bit of the barn is and we had identical replies: the ground source heat pump — the house is so comfortable throughout the year as a result.”