Renewing the Farmhouse and Waterwheel

Insulation Guide For Lowna Farmhouse

Dry lined walls – all dry lined walls 50mm Kingspan

Stoothing walls – All stoothing walls 50mm Rockwool

Ground Floor Ceilings – All ground floor ceilings 100mm insulation

First Floor Ceilings – All first floor ceilings 100mm insulation

First Floor Ceiling to New Extension – 250mm loft insulation

Main House Roof (loft Space) – 130mm Kingspan

Ground Floors – All Ground Floors 75mm Kingspan

First Floor - All bedroom and passage lighting is low energy.  

Ground Floor – 40% of downstairs lighting is low energy.

All electrical appliances are energy- efficient

All toilets are fitted with dual flush systems.

Although heating for the house is oil-fired, the hot water system is a sealed high pressure system which is energy-efficient; there is a modern pressurized tank so pumps are not needed on showers. All radiators have thermostatic controls and the heating is timed and, because of good insulation, is not needed for large parts of the day. 

All new windows in the house are double glazed (which are the ones facing North and East) and there is only one wall in the house which does not have full insulation.

Both smaller holiday cottages have had their insulation upgraded; all now have double-glazed windows; low-energy light bulbs are being used where possible (any new replacement light fittings will be low-energy and any new electrical appliances will have low energy rating)

Community Involvement and Awareness-raising for the Whole Project

Throughout the whole project contact has been kept up with our local Junior schools so that pupils can learn about renewable energy and living; we have reported on progress from planning stages to completion and hope that the two-way liason will continue.

We have contact with Ryedale Folk Museum and have kept their officers updated with a view to having some display in the future.

An Open Afternoon was arranged in September 2009 and local people and other interested parties were invited to look at the working water wheel and generation and also invited in to the farmhouse to see work done and explain the energy reduction measures.  To date, local Environment groups and many other interested groups have been shown the project; three Ph D students have based studies around the hydro. 

We explain our scheme to cottage visitors, and show all who are interested the wheel working. Our aim is to show, by example, that we can reduce carbon emissions by putting in low-energy appliances, generate all electricity used, reduce, re-use and re-cycle the waste from the holiday cottages and live in harmony with nature and use its resources sparingly.

We encouraging visitors to use their cars less; each cottage is provided with a large selection of maps suitable for walkers and cyclists and also Moorsbus and local transport timetables. We promote the safe storage of bicycles, and  encourage visitors to use the Park and Ride schemes in neighbouring larger towns by advertising the services.

We are hoping to join one of the Green Tourism Schemes which will give even more emphasis on sustainable living.

Our greatest achievement to date is the installation of the Water wheel to generate electricity.  We could not have achieved this without grant-aid from the North York Moors National Park Authority's Sustainable Development Fund which allowed us to push the project forward.  We are now generating all the electricity for our farm and holiday cottages and are not only using this energy but have signed up to one of the Green Energy companies and are now being credited for our surplus which is being sold back to the National Grid!

Energy Record 

From August  2009

 The amount generated is dependent on the water flow and the total consumption is influenced by the occupancy of the holiday cottages but to date we have generated  over 38000 KWh of electricity; although FIT tarriffs have reduced we are still being paid by the Green Energy electricity company.

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