Airtight converted dairy 'is most ecological home in Britain'

A converted dairy that the developers claim is the most environmentally-friendly home in Britain has been put on the market for £3.5 million.

By Matthew MoorePublished: 1:16PM BST 03 Sep 2009
The six-bedroom property, which has its own spa and 25-seat cinema, requires just 10 per cent of the energy required to run a normal house and is almost carbon neutral.
Situated in the Cotswold village of Ampney Knowle, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, the property is just a stone's throw from the home of Liz Hurley, the actress.
The home's energy demands are so low because it is effectively airtight; the 17th Century stone walls and roof are hermetically sealed to prevent warmth from escaping.
A sophisticated ventilation system draws a controlled amount of filtered fresh air into the house when necessary, ensuring that the air supply is completely renewed every two hours.
"People think you need to insulate a house but a fridge only has a tiny bit of insulation. The most important thing is that a house is airtight," said architect Paul Lavelle.
"Fireplaces are the worst thing you could ever put in. They draw heat out of the room."
While Barnsley Hill Farm boasts all the conveniences one would expect from a family home – and many one wouldn't including the cinema, sauna, hot-tub and swimming pool – most of the electricity it requires can be generated on-site.
Twenty solar panels are able power the home's central heating all year round, with energy stored in the summer for when it is needed in the winter.
Other eco-friendly components include a water recycling system and a sewage treatment plant which turns waste into purified water.
Mr Lavelle, whose Stonebee development firm was responsible for the conversion, said the property proves that energy-efficient homes can also be luxurious.
He added: "If we dropped all the mad building practices we could live in low energy homes for less money."