Environmental measures
At East Cambusmoon Farm we are committed to running our home, smallholding and business to the highest sustainable principles. Our two holiday cottages are no exception, being designed and built with sustainable low energy design at their heart whilst offering guests superb levels of comfort and amenity.
- Insulation – both cottages use a highly insulated and airtight timber frame structure insulated with dense mineral fibre and wood fibre board to keep the draughts out and the heat in. Insulation is approximately 50% over that required by current building standards and ensures that even in the coldest winter we can keep the cottages cosy and warm for our guests.
- Daylight – we’ve taken advantage of natural light and heat from the sun through large areas of well insulated glazing to the south and east of the building.
- Air quality – the properties are immensely air-tight (draught free) so a heat recovery system constantly brings fresh air in to the living spaces, this is pre-heated via a highly efficient heat exchanger by outgoing stale air constantly extracted from the bathrooms and kitchens. What this means to the occupant is a fresh air supply and constant temperature.
- Heat and hot water – a ground source heat pump provides both under floor heating and hot water for both cottages for the cooler months; solar thermal panels provide the supply for the rest of the year. Each cottage also has a highly efficient wood burning stove which takes its combustion air supply directly from the outside to avoid draughty chimneys.
- Power – 6kW of solar PV panels (some installed on the south facing roof of Curlew Cottage) at the farm provide around half of our energy needs for our home, our renewable energy business and the cottages. The remainder comes from renewable energy sources through a green energy tariff.
- Appliances and lights – we have chosen energy efficient appliances throughout and use LED, CFL then halogen lighting in priority order where practicable.
These measures combine to provide comfortable living spaces day and night throughout the year, whilst ensuring the cottages use less energy than a small two bedroom flat.
Waste
We’re keen to minimise waste at East Cambusmoon and provide our guests with recycling bins for glass, paper/cardboard, cans, plastic, food and kitchen waste.
