A Sustainable Makeover for a Grade II Listed Property in Nottingham

David and Marisa Belli, owners of “The Old Rectory”, a grade II listed property in Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire, were looking to renovate their new home in an energy efficient way. With the property hosting an outdated dual gas boiler, that was not providing sufficient heating for their home, David and Marisa were challenged with restrictions and regulations that protected the property’s historical and architectural significance while searching for a suitable alternative.

David and Marisa are strong advocates of renewable energy and were looking for a sustainable option that would heat their new home in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way. For planning and organisational reasons, they wanted to work with a local company and after doing some, research, they found Geo Green Power. After a conversation with our team, they were impressed with the services we could provide them and enlisted us to transform their property’s power and heating.

To meet the couple’s energy efficiency goals, the team began exploring the best options in terms of cost effectiveness and sustainability. After discussing with David and Marisa, they and the team decided on implementing a 40.5kW Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) system, a 13.1kW Solar PV system and a 13.5kWh Battery: which, when combined, would allow them to save around 27 tonnes of CO2 per year. As David has owned electric vehicles for the past 5 years, he also took the opportunity to invest in an EV charging point – lowering his carbon footprint even further.

David and Marisa are over the moon with their ASHP installation, which is made up of three units. Together, the ASHP system heats their property adequately, has eliminated the need for gas heating and enabled the couple to navigate listed building guidelines and preserve the architectural importance of their home. Because they have converted almost entirely to renewable energy; their carbon footprint has dramatically reduced, and their heat pump runs on solar power whenever possible.

During the long days of summer, the solar PV produces surplus electricity, allowing David and Marisa to make use of their battery storage. This saves money on their electricity bill as it stores any solar energy, that the house isn’t using, for charging the car or night usage. The battery storage system also acts as a back-up, should their electricity supply ever be interrupted. A great export rate with their energy provider Octopus Energy is also providing a small income for them, as any energy that’s not stored or used is exported back to the grid at an attractive rate.

During the planning stages of David and Marisa’s installation, there were many challenges due to COVID-19 and the National lockdowns. Even with these barriers, the couple were very happy with how the Geo Green Power team operated. David said: “The team did a fantastic job; they were very professional and even worked in the winter and the cold weather.”

The David and Marisa installation means they have become almost fully self-sufficient, particularly during the summer months, using the energy from their solar PV installation to power their home, their heating and their cars. They are saving on their electricity costs, storing or selling any power they are not using to their energy provider and saving an incredible 27 tonnes of CO2 every year.