Providing utilities in isolated areas can be a challenge at the best of times, but for the Davies Family & their off-grid farmhouse in rural Manmoel, S. Wales it seemed a distant dream. Having to travel many miles to tend their livestock, Arthur Davies applied for help to convert their abandoned and derelict farm building into a comfortable home so they could live on the land and take better care of their animals during the harsh winter months.
Situated high in the hills & with no gas, electricity or even mains water, the project was adopted by the Exemplar Program run by Construction Excellence in Wales, who enlisted the BRE and SSE to provide expertise, funding and technology to make the dream a reality.
After a feasibility study, the aims were agreed and a list of viable solutions drawn up. These included Solar PV & battery bank, rainwater harvesting, Biomass Boilers & thermal stores but issues arose when the choice of heating emitter were considered.
The Biomass boiler could provide large amounts of high energy heat instantly, but with living space a premium, traditional radiators were seen as a clumsy and inefficient technology to hang on the end of the system. Underfloor was an obvious alternative, but with several rooms having wood or carpet coverings or with timber joist construction it was felt that the efficiency of the system would be compromised.
It was then that SSE suggested using the ThermaSkirt skirting heating system having seen the product at a recent Exhibition. Following a meeting in Edinburgh DiscreteHeat drew up proposals for Joanne Horrigan, National Development Director (SSE Wales) who immediately saw the advantages of the system – fast response times, low water content, & high efficiency irrespective of floor coverings and more liveable space.
Joanne explains;
"Providing a low temperature heating system that could be easily retrofitted and respond quickly to the varying heat demand was a challenge. We identified ThermaSkirt as the most viable solution and have been impressed with the product ever since."
With over 10,000 systems installed both on conventional boilers and renewables such as Biomass and Heat Pumps, the ThermaSkirt product provides the skirting boards and radiators in one, providing a welcome hidden cost saving in that traditional timber skirts, their fitting and painting are not required.
The project commenced in June 2012 and completed in the Autumn, just in time for one of the worst winters on record.
All areas of the farmhouse have been fitted with ThermaSkirt and are working well
Despite record low temperatures, and reliance on off-grid technologies, the Maes Yr Onn farmhouse has stayed warm and cosy throughout the winter. The Davies family and all the other stake holders have been particularly impressed with the performance of ThermaSkirt.
Arthur Davies;
"It’s absolutely brilliant, I cannot tell you how impressed we are with it. We’ve had over 80 visitors sent via SE to see the house and the new technology, and they were all bowled over with the ThermaSkirt."
Joann Horrigan from SSE concludes;
"We have been very impressed with the ThermaSkirt solution and can many applications for the product in both retrofit and new build projects."
The building has received a 95 or ‘A’ efficiency rating, and creates nearly -8kg/m2/yr of CO2 emissions.
| Energy Consumption | KwH/year |
| Heating | 7334 |
| Hot Water | 1819 |
| Fabric Energy Efficiency | 70 kwH/m2 |
| CO2 Emissions | KG/Year |
| Heating | 59 |
| Hot Water | 14 |
| Pumps & Fans | 106 |
| LED Lighting | 231 |
| Solar PV | -1251 |
| Total | -7.8 |
