Home improvement - Harnessing natural energy
Like many homeowners, the idea of introducing green technology to meet energy and heating needs is one we have always wanted to pursue, but until two years ago were never in a position to do so.We now rely on a solar panel for boosting all our hot water and have a pompe à chaleur air/water system for our central heating.
More importantly, with a year’s worth of electricity bills we can now see our total annual consumption and begin some rough calculations showing that the initial outlay should pay off within approximately 15 years.
Of course, when doing the sums there are a number of variables to take into account so let’s put our project into context before I try and wow you with the figures. Previously we lived in a typical French country house of 165m2 with an electric ballon d’eau for hot water and oil-fired central heating, frequently supplemented with a log-burning stove.
Being just two adults we felt, like many Brits who moved over at the time, that we didn’t need so much space and heating rooms that were rarely used by us in winter was a waste of money and energy. We wanted to downsize but invest the profit in making our future home more environmentally friendly without having to compromise on warmth and obviously benefit from lower heating costs.
The property we found was a renovation project and in total would give us 120m2 of habitable space.We visited a home improvement exhibition in Poitiers and learnt about the grants and tax relief (credit d’impôts) available from the French government, providing your house is your main residence and the installation is done by a French-registered artisan or company. After several quotes we chose the company that was the most efficient at getting back to us and provided us with the clearest information.
The solar panel requires a south-east, south or south-west facing roof to work at its optimum level. A dèclaration des travaux is required from your mairie but the forms and scale drawings we did ourselves (which basically means you’d have to live at the Vallée des Singes, our local monkey park, not to be able to give it a go yourself!).
The water you use is not circulated in the panel, but another liquid is used, which is like a coolant and heats to a maximum of 70°C. This is what heats the water in your water tank.Water direct from the panel would just be too hot in summer. The tank has an electric element that kicks in on cloudy or cool days.
The pompe à chaleur or heat pump works like a fridge in reverse. It draws in air via an outside fan and the heating element compresses it, which creates heat that is then used to heat the water that circulates around a conventional radiator system, except we went for underfloor heating downstairs (we weren’t going to compromise on warmth).
Other possible systems involve geothermic heat source, using the ambient temperature from the earth to aid the heating process. If you are looking for tax relief be careful to avoid systems that can also operate in summer as air conditioning systems, as they will not entitle you to a rebate.
The heat contraption looks like a wall-mounted gas boiler and contains the pump, which is slightly noisy so be mindful where you site it (not next to the downstairs bedroom like we did).
Costs
That’s the technical part, but what about the costs? In our previous house we paid €480 per year for all electricity, €500 for oil and probably another €100 for wood, giving a total of €1,080. Our annual electricity bill from September 2006 to September 2007 came to €472, of which €105 is actually the abonnement or standing charge, as the systems require 9kvA. Our electricity bill is therefore practically the same as at our old house, but includes a winter’s central heating costs. In addition, we don’t have to worry about the cost of electricity spiralling upwards as we did with an oil-fed system.
The cost of installation was by no means cheap and my partner being a plumber means that he could do a lot of the pipework himself. The solar panel cost us €5,500, of which we received a grant of €800 and €2,200 as a credit d’impôt, giving an actual cost of €2,000. The pompe à chaleur with underfloor heating pipes cost €13,000, but didn’t include all the pipework to radiators upstairs and other finishing off. I would estimate another €1,500 for this.We received €4,000 credit d’impôt for this so in real terms the installation cost us €10,500.
Our escapade into energyefficient systems has totalled €12,500 and while heating a smaller home, we are making annual savings at present of €508 per year. If we had stuck to conventional energy sources for the renovation project, we would have had to spend a minimum of €4,000 for a hot water and central heating system.
I therefore estimate that we invested €7,500 over and above a conventional system to make a saving of €508 euros, which will pay for itself in just under 15 years. This seems like a long time, I know, and in truth we only contemplated this venture as part of a renovation project. There are no clear figures for the value such investment can put on a house but I would certainly be willing to pay more for a house with such technology installed.
We may all like to think that the drive for going green is about reducing the effects of burning fossil fuels and making the planet cleaner and greener. More often it is about the search for cheaper options in a world where fuel prices and producers appear to hold the rest of us to ransom. France offers good incentives compared to other European countries to go green and hopefully production costs will decrease as demand goes up.
Whether you choose to go green for ethical or financial reasons, neither will give you short-term returns. Is it worth it? In the long term, of course. See it like planting a tree; you might not be around to see it in its full glory but someone in the future will look at it and be glad you did.
Kate Ryle works for Papillon Properties Tel: 01799 527809 www.papillon-properties.com