Project Case Studies

A Small History

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The Casanova household is located in a rural, isolated part of France. Although the property is now connected to the electricity supply network this has been completed only recently because of the high connection costs and administration associated. No cheaper solution could immediately be found. Environment and society are important to the household and a higher priority than finances – the head previously worked with communities in Africa.

"In Africa, to change part of a technology was not a problem because people have the skills to manufacture things individually". Products are not manufactured at such a large scale as in the developed world and people learn to be more efficient with the resources available to them.

The household in question was built in 1973 and is poorly insulated. It has only 100mm insulation in the roof space and no wall-space or floor insulation. The floor is a large source of unwanted ventilation. Between 3,500 and 4,500 litres of fuel are consumed every year for space-heating although an EC Solaire system enables the boiler to be extinguished during the summer months. The electric pump (ballon biénergie) is electrically powered consuming around 350 KWh a year.

The results of an audit were unexpected, identifying an annual consumption of approximately 20,000kWh. After turning off the switchgears a proportion of this was still unaccounted for however may partly be associated with the three-phase heat pump moving water into the household from a depth of 55m. Another possible explanation was Gypsies!

Overall this household has a keen interest in understanding the energy consumption of the property, and in investigating and implementing sustainable energy solutions. Energy saving and efficiency is common practice by all members and several technologies have been installed including external wall insulation, a small wind turbine and a Canadian ground-source heat pump.

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