Gledhill’s Torrent RE Solar, a hot water and heating system, has been specified by designer Jim Carfrae on the Master Builder’s Energy Efficient building of the year. The timber framed house, in Totnes, Devon, was built on the same budget as a conventional home, but by concentrating on insulation levels, renewable energies and sustainable building products, it has achieved a SAP rating of 108 and a Carbon index of 9.0.

The house, built by R.J. Gulley Ltd, is constructed mainly from traditionally jointed timber frame, straw bales and waste materials sourced locally. It combines two heating systems: A wood burner in the open plan living space, and the Torrent RE Solar, which feeds radiators throughout the remainder of the house.

The Torrent RE Solar is a combined hot water and heating thermal store. It incorporates a highly effective heat exchanger to maximise the energy collected by solar panels. It then extracts this energy to provide hot water for domestic use but also, importantly, for heating. The amount of fuel used to produce this heat is reduced as the water passing through the boiler has already been solar heated.

Jim Carfrae comments, “When we started this project there was some scepticism about whether we’d be able to stay within the budget of a traditionally built home, in this case around £250,000, but the house is proof positive it can be done.

“We knew the Torrent RE Solar would maximise the energy generated from our 30 tube solar thermal array, and the unit itself is reasonably priced. The renewable energy system has greatly reduced our gas bill to only £80 a year, and we’ve also noticed the temperature is more even throughout the house in comparison to previous traditional homes, there are no cold spots.”

Ian Hamilton, Chairman at Gledhill Building Products, adds: “Gledhill is very proud to have been part of this award winning project.

”The popularity of the Torrent RE Solar is growing year on year as the push for energy efficient homes strengthens. The ease of installation and its cost effectiveness makes it the ideal choice on a wide range of development.”