Unique eco build will be among first in UK

By Jane Smedley

Steve Powell, left, and David Axworthy from Norman Piette with the hsbCAD software used to build a carbon neutral house, one of the first of its kind in Britain. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 0560225)

CARBON neutral homes in Guernsey could be some of the first in Britain. The construction system used to create Britain’s first carbon neutral home, the Lighthouse, will soon be used locally.

The first house in Guernsey to be built with the structurally insulated panels, SIPS, should be under construction next month as a private build. The panels, which are supplied from Kingspan, the manufacturer behind the Lighthouse, are more energy efficient and faster to construct.

Building a house could take only a matter of weeks, which would result in lower construction costs and heating bills would be reduced. David Axworthy and Steve Powell from Norman Piette have undergone an intensive week-long training course in order to master the new 3D computer system known as hsbCAD.

‘By being able to work in 3D, we can now see every detail of the building, such as junctions and connections, and ensure all aspects of the design will work,’ said Mr Powell.

‘It means we can take drawings a local architect or designer produces and build up a three-dimensional model of the building.

‘This will help with our normal timber-frame manufacturing, but for projects using Sips it can also help to design the panels to the exact specification,’ he said.

The insulated Kingspan panels can be used to form the outer walls of a building as well as the roof, with the interior structure formed using traditional timber-frame methods.

The panels would be able to be made to specification in the UK, but all design and other construction could be done in the island.

Mr Powell said: ‘In the UK, the energy used to heat and power homes accounts for a quarter of all carbon emissions and the situation here is probably similar.

‘Obviously, there is a great demand for more energy-efficient products and materials and we believe this type of construction is going to be increasingly used in the future.’