Showing posts with label sustainability. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sustainability. Show all posts

Wednesday, 7 February 2007

House Technology

Today was a big day. Nothing to do with the project.


I finalised the mortgage to build a new house. I have been working towards this for 3 years now. So the excitmenting moments have generally come and gone.


Over the last year I have been thinking about the technology that I will put in the house.


So many options:


CAT 5/CAT 6, wireless, telephone, Video, audio, control, heating....... the list of options is long.


One of the first decision that was made was the kind of heating to be used. This has lots of options again. We opted for a Ground Sourced Heat pump. This takes heat from a large area of ground and transfers it to a smaller area of the house. This means that for maximum efficiency we will go for underfloor heating.


Next is the important things.........music. Having looked and researched I have 2 options:


- Sonos wireless system


- Cambridge Audio CAT 5 System.


I am planning to put in a CAT 5 system anyway for the telephone and (of course) the pc's. So at the moment cambridge audio in in front.


So, should I also put Sky (Council Telly is very bad here) through the CAT 5 as well? At the moment the answer is no. By the time I buy the kit from Sky and then add in the encoders and decoders at each end of the CAT 5 cable the price goes through the roof.


I plan to run the satellite cable throughout the house and place freesat boxes in the bedrooms. The main room will have the the full sky package playing through a projector.


To cap it all I am planning to use Recycled plastic roof tiles. Made from car tyres, plasic and limestone. To these in use have a look at The Centre of Alternative Technology Web site


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Wednesday, 31 January 2007

Taking a step back

Tonight I stepped down as director of Islay Energy Trust.


The trust is in place to develop sustainable energy projects to aid the socio-economic development of the island and to develop education and awareness of sustainability issues.


I am passionately committed to these values and will still be involved in a less formal way.


So way did I step down? ..................Time.


With being the PT of a dept, ICT Cordinator, working on developing the School of Ambition programme, planning to build a house and trying to have a life as well. Being a director of a company was too much.


I plan to still be involved in developing parts of the projects but it was a mixed emotion night.


PS I had Nothing to do with the website!


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