Personal story:

Started life as aerospace engineer then 20 plus years teaching Engineering in schools, colleges and a 6 month stint in Leicester jail (teaching computer, honestly). Ceilia has also 20 year plus teaching in Coventry. Coventry LEA have outdoor pursuit centre 3 miles down stream so Ceilia and myself use it to do a GCSE project on the hydro power station 200 m from Bryn Elltyd in 1970’s. Then we both became Coventry teachers and spent 20 plus years bringing pupils to the centre and area. Randomly, we saw Bryn Elltyd house for sale. As this linked in with daughter moving out to uni, we did what any sensible parent would do. We sold up, left the country and moved to Wales to continue our eco dream in a stunning area.

Motivations:

Ceilia took me to the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales in 1983. We were so impressed we went back to our semi in Coventry and put 5m of solar panels on roof( still working well today) That was a bit ahead of the game for Coventry. We moved into Bryn Elltyd 6 years ago to escape the city, live a lower carbon life style, hopefully educate a few others and be more in tune with our planet. It has worked.

Also see:

Property background:

1883 slate mine managers house in heart of Snowdonia, built with local slate / granite in a fold in the Ffestiniog gravity then steam railway. We have photo of slate trains outside in 1880s.

1965 semi ruin with outside tap. Local builder renavated it and did some very impressive linking of new and old buildings and built two detached bedrooms with grass roofs, solar panels, rainwater harvesting, part timber framed with sheep wool insulation.

2007 we bought the guest house and continued the low carbon approach. We were lucky that John has the skill to think and complete a great deal of the work. It is not a Grand designs but a slow evolution. Fortunately business is, well ? The state of the economy has given John the time to complete a great deal of development work. Business will pick up with the economic up turn.

Key changes made:

• We inherited a inefficient but zero carbon central heating. It was a 26kw fire with back boiler that gobbled 17ton of wood a year. Hourly top ups. We now have automated, high efficiency pellet boiler in purpose built boiler house intergrated with 10m of solar thermal on its roof.
• New 7kw high efficiency fire
• Built a 9m long wood seasoning / dry store with 2000watts of solar electric on its roof. Up right timber are recycled 1920’s oak local railway sleepers.
• Two conservatories to capture heat and reduce out side walls.
• Two turf roofed detached bedrooms. Lined with sheep’s wool in timber frame. own solar thermal panes and rainwater harvesting.
• Lots of little things and more insulation

Measures installed in detail:

• Continuation of green roof. Now have 2 buildings with grass / alpine flowers…bike store with modern sedum alpine plants and sedan log store done very cheaply with carpet / mesh

Benefits of work carried out:

Much more comfortable and easier to run guesthouse. Great for the planet and next generation. Economic rewards may take a while to arrive. Central heating was via the RHI scheme we were number 32 in the UK and expect to break even on £20k investment in 8 years. Stunning place, looks better on advertising. It is our lifestyle choice but also our workplace. Great use of John’s skills when booking are a reflection of the economy

Favourite feature:

• New log burner. Stanford 7kw. Worth more than my car but worth every penny. Uses less than half the fuel of a usual high quality fire. Has double glazed door and an extensive steel liner inside the cast iron body. Takes air in below, moves it through liner and spins it in as hot air to fuel the combustion. Is legal to run it in Central London.
• Wood Pellet fire central heating. So advanced you empty the ash every 6 weeks and it cleans its self every night.
• Undramatic but insulation….insulation house is cosy compared to when we moved in.

Project update:

Dishwasher gave up. replaced with A++ AEG machine and fitted more insulation at back of dishwasher hole.
Emptied compost…10 wheelbarrows and Dishwasher cardboard shredded as nice base for new compost heap. Made friends with slow worm and put 200mm fresh grass/ veg cutting over him to heat up and keep him warm at night.
Found more slate slabs when digging out ( we are slate mine managers house) and laid as paving.
Made it to shortlist of 3 in RENEWABLE ENERGY cymru eco awards. We are carbon neutral plus extras. opposition is National Trust. So,,,,, our 3 star guesthouse with no staff vs National trust. No sweat.
Took on Best Western hotels and organisation in Eco awards in June 2014 and won. Considerate hotelier green team award. Winner previous year a group of people at the SAVOY hotel.
….Upgrade of our 3rd Electric car charge point to charge Tesla super cars

Updated on 01/03/2015

Business name:

Bryn Elltyd Eco Guesthouse

Business overview:

Carbon neutral eco guesthouse (and SuperHome) in heart of Snowdonia and, according to The Guardian, “one of the greenest bolt holes in Europe”.

• 2013 and 2014 and Considerate Hotelier eco awards pitted against Best Western Hotel and o and won (Considerate Hotelier Awards)
• Climate Week Green Hotelier Award 2013 – runner up
• One of 5 Green Tourism Business Scheme GOLD winners Wales… Twice
• Voted ‘Renewable energy project of the year 2012’ by the Welsh Assembly/Gwynedd Council.

Heavily insulated, uses 100% renewable energy, Solar thermal and Pv, biomass wood

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