ENERGY EFFICIENCY
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
A unique house for sale in lovely West Cork, Ireland
The Irish farmer who built this house originally knew what he was doing. The site fulfils all of the criteria which you will find in a modern book on the siting of a passive solar house. To the north, across the lane, the hillside protects the house, set well below the level of the road, from unwelcome chilly winds, while to the south the deciduous ashes, sycamores and silver birches provide welcome shade in the summer, but let light and heat through in the winter months. The site is dry at all seasons - after very heavy rain there will briefly be a small puddle of water in the south east corner, but that soon disappears.
The two foot thick walls of the original croft give away the building's age, but all the disadvantages of a traditional building - damp, cold and condensation - have been totally eliminated. The entire roof structure has 
been replaced, new damp proof membranes and an electro-osmotic dampcourse have been installed, and the walls, old and new, have all been externally insulated and rendered. The insulation generally is to a very high standard, but that is not the only factor making this cosy house very cheap to heat.
The house has been planned to take full advantage of solar heat gain, by having large windows and roof glazing on the sunny aspects, and minimising the window openings to the north. Combined with the external insulation, this has resulted in a house where the internal temperature after a night without heating, even on what would be a very cold night in 
frost for this normally very mild corner of
Add to this an efficient modern heating system with an oil-fired combi boiler which produces instant hot water which won't run out, and thermostatic valves on all radiators, and the result is a home which can be economically and easily heated. Also, note that all pipework and drainage is internal, meaning no possibility of freezing pipes in a cold winter. West Cork winters are generally really mild, but we didn't totally escape the freeze in the last two exceptionally cold ones, and many houses in the area, even those newly built, still have external pipes.
unique architect designed house for sale in West Cork – reasonably priced - no chain - designed for full-time living but also an ideal holiday home - imaginative conversion – light and airy – finished to a high standard – lots of natural timber - hardwood floors – extensive subtly coloured ceramic tiling - energy efficient design using passive solar heat gain and highly effective external insulation – finished externally in self-coloured render - open fire – 3 bedrooms - en suite – study – large living room - kitchen/dining - utility room - lots of storage space - rural but not isolated location – local amenities including supermarket 5 mins away – safe and secure environment - south aspect - lovely small natural low-maintenance garden – dog-proofed garden - many mature trees and shrubs - spectacular hill, valley and sea views – timber decking - off-road parking – lovely dog walks on the doorstep - satellite TV – wireless broadband – own water supply with automatic filtration system – oil-fired combi boiler – superb West Cork scenery in every direction – 5 minutes to nearest beach – 5min to Ballylickey - 10min to Bantry – 15min to Glengarriff - 1hr15min to Cork / Cork Airport – 1hr30min to Cork/Swansea Ferry – two hotel leisure centres with swimming pools in Bantry - two scenic golf courses within 10-15 minutes drive - wonderful sailing/cruising area - private yacht mooring also available in Glengarriff Harbour - Sterling purchase welcomed
home contact description accommodation externally the area plans
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