On 01/02/2010 13:30, Stewart wrote:
He is now thinking of a large area of solar panels coupled with as much
insulation as it is possible to incorporate in the walls.
Might use a high energy wood pellet furnace as back up source of heating the
house and swimming pool.

It's more efficient to design for passive solar than to try and use roof
mounted solar panels for heating. It's quite a tall order though!

There will need to be a lot of emphasis place on the details of
insulation and air-tightness to make it work properly - and most
builders aren't experienced in this yet.