Introducing the energy efficient Ardennes holiday home

Designed for owners and holiday home providers for an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient solution, providing lowest total cost of ownership

Developed in collaboration with the University of Hull's Aura Innovation Centre and Lampada Digital Solutions, this innovative project is set to redefine the holiday homes with a focus on sustainability and cost-efficiency.

With the growing need for sustainability and energy efficiency, innovative building fabric improvements and advanced heating solutions have been implemented to significantly reduce energy consumption in holiday homes. By focusing on the walls, floor, roof, and airtightness, alongside the adoption of cutting-edge heating and hot water systems, these homes are now able to achieve a substantial 12.4% annual reduction in space heating energy consumption!

Below, we explore the specific enhancements made and their respective impacts on energy efficiency.

Building Fabric Improvements

The walls, constructed with 60mm thickness with fewer timber uprights and Argon-filled warm edge windows, achieve a 7% decrease in heat loss. By reducing the number of timber uprights and increasing insulation, the U Value of the walls is improved, contributing to an additional 2% reduction in heat loss while maintaining structural integrity. The floor has also been enhanced with 80mm Superglass insulation, leading to a 17% decrease in heat loss, whilst the roof, often the main source of heat loss, now benefits from doubled Superglass insulation to 200mm, resulting in a significant 46% reduction in heat loss. Additionally, airtightness improvements, including the application of extra sealing tapes, have led to a 25% increase in airtightness, decreasing heat loss by 34% and reducing overall gas consumption by 4%.

Advanced Heating and Hot Water Systems

The Energy Efficient Ardennes is equipped with Trust Neos electric wall heaters featuring a soapstone core, which ensures consistent heat output by maintaining core temperature and requiring only intermittent use of electrical energy. The aerodynamic design forces air from the top of the heating panel and pulls warm air around, allowing the electric element to heat the core for as little as 42.8% of the time, significantly reducing energy consumption while maintaining comfort.

For hot water, the SunAmp Thermino phase-change water heater converts electrical energy (from Grid and Solar) into stored energy within the energy dense phase-change material - this stored energy can then heat water for over an hour when fully charged. The smart control system manages energy input and prioritizes solar PV energy, reducing grid consumption and cutting energy use for water heating by up to 85% in summer. Additionally, the Kelda Shower with its innovative Air-Powered™ technology provides a powerful yet efficient shower experience, reducing total water consumption by nearly 19% and operating at a mere 5 litres per minute while delivering the sensation of 10 litres per minute, resulting in lower bills and fewer carbon emissions.

Smart Controls

The Holiday Home Connect System brings a new level of smart control to energy management, perfect for park owners! The system features multi-zone heating control with roof-mounted thermal and motion sensors, allowing for precise temperature management in individual rooms. It automatically reduces heating in unoccupied rooms, restoring the original temperature when motion is detected.

The Holiday Home Control collects and transmits data, enabling fleet operators to monitor and control the holiday home remotely via a web app. Designed to operate efficiently on a 230v 16A grid supply, the system also includes remote monitoring capabilities.

Energy Recovery and Storage

The Energy Efficient Ardennes is powered by an innovative Hybrid Power System, featuring eight 450W bi-facial solar panels that supply energy to a 3.6kWh inverter, with storage options available in either a 3.84kWh or 5.1kWh battery. This system is housed in a secure external enclosure equipped with a smoke alarm, ensuring safety and reliability.

On a peak summer day, this setup can generate up to 89% of the energy required for a fully occupied holiday home, with only 11% needing to come from the grid. This solar efficiency is particularly beneficial during the high-occupancy summer months.

The Zypho Shower Device also enhances energy efficiency through waste water heat recovery. This device captures heat from shower wastewater and uses it to preheat the incoming cold mains water, which is then directed to the water heater. When paired with the Kelda shower system, this technology can reduce the energy required for heating shower water by up to 66%, further contributing to the overall sustainability of the Energy Efficient Ardennes.

 

The comprehensive improvements to the building fabric, combined with state-of-the-art heating, hot water, and energy recovery systems, have revolutionized the energy efficiency of holiday homes. With continued innovation and smart technology integration, the future of energy-efficient holiday homes looks bright.

The energy efficient Ardennes is a prototype concept holiday home and we are conducting further testing at Swift, with our partners, and on park before we introduce the elements of the energy efficient solutions to future models.

For more information please contact your Swift account manager.