A renewable energy company from Denbighshire has played a key role in at TV eco-challenge.<\/p>\n
Tremeirchion-based Hafod Renewables worked with DIY newcomer Nia Jones, a PhD student studying plastic pollution who paired up with roofer Mark Hughes for Channel 4 property show The Great House Giveaway.<\/p>\n
They ended up successfully boosting the energy efficiency value of a three-bedroom bungalow in Rhosybol on Anglesey from E to A \u2013 the best possible.<\/p>\n
It is the first time since the show launched in 2020 that a pair of renovators have gone all out for the eco-approach, swapping traditional heating systems for greener technology in the wake of spiraling energy costs.<\/p>\n
Hosted by Simon O\u2019Brien, a presenter and successful property developer, who played Damon Grant in TV soap Brookside in the 1980s, the show challenges two strangers who are not homeowners to renovate a property bought at auction within a set budget and in just six months.<\/p>\n
If the project is successful, they both get to share the profits \u2013 if not, the house goes back to auction.<\/p>\n
Nia and Mark forked out a sizeable chunk of their budget on a raft of new green features including an Air Source Heat Pump, underfloor heating, thermal cladding, solar panels and an electric car charging port.<\/p>\n
As a result of their investment, the property is now virtually self-sufficient and valued at around \u00a3300,0000.<\/p>\n
Hafod\u2019s Managing Director David Jones said: \u201cPeople want to know how much a property will cost to run in the long term and with what\u2019s going on with the price of gas, people will look at the home and realise they could live virtually off-grid.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can retro-fit pretty much any home with eco-friendly technology. This project was quite straight forward for us being a bungalow and only one storey as we could put underfloor heating across the whole house.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Air Source Heat Pump basically acts like a reverse fridge with a fan outside that transfers heat from the atmosphere and turns it into water to provide heat in the home or hot water. This provides all the heating and hot water they need for the property. There are no fossil fuels connected to the property at all, no gas boiler, so it\u2019s more environmental.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe fitted eight solar panels on the roof and a battery storage system which stores electricity. Everything works together to provide everything for their needs from running a fridge or a washing machine to providing heat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nia and roofing firm owner Mark, from Bodedern, Anglesey, appear in the third series of the show, which is made by award-winning independent TV production firm Chwarel, based in Criccieth – co-producers of Gogglebocs, the Welsh language version of hit reality series Gogglebox.<\/p>\n
Sioned Wyn, Chwarel\u2019s managing director and executive producer of The Great House Giveaway who hails from the Ruthin area, said the renovation marked a bold step for the show.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are the first to have done this and I really thank both Nia and Mark for buying into this vision because even now, we\u2019re still not sure if it\u2019s going to work or whether they would have got more money the old way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, conscience-wise, this is absolutely the way we should be renovating every house in the future. If your central heating fails, you don\u2019t want to be putting in a combi boiler in there, you want to be installing an Air Source Heat Pump.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we have now is a house with all the up-to-date energy-saving gadgets you could want – especially amid a cost-of-living crisis and with electricity so expensive. It will be more expensive than your average bungalow, but the cost of running this house will be significantly lower than a traditional bungalow that has gas.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a bold move for us on the show and we are so happy the contributors bought into it. They did amazingly well. There\u2019s so much pressure to do it the old way because it\u2019s cheaper but they are pioneers in renovation one hundred percent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among those impressed with the pair\u2019s green design is presenter Simon O\u2019Brien, who has extensive development experience himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they did amazing because it was a really big ask not only as this stuff is expensive, but it\u2019s particularly hard to retro-fit in an old house. With a new build, it\u2019s a much easier process than to take an old bungalow and turn it into a zero-carbon eco-house,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though they were very keen on the idea, they were dealing with technology that not a lot of people know how to use and were reliant on the experts. Due to what has happened with energy prices, getting hold of such experts is tricky because they are in great demand. Logistically, it was a balancing act and one they managed to achieve very well given they were in unknown territory.\u201d<\/p>\n
As far as future renovations are concerned, Simon says the eco-friendly vision should be on everyone\u2019s radar.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe it should almost be law if you refurbish a house to the extent that they did -not just morally,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone knows climate change is real. Most people live in old houses, and it would be a hard ask to tell them to rip their houses down and put it together in a different way but if it\u2019s being refurbished anyway, even with an old house you can make a massive difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince Nia and Mark started the project, energy prices have gone up and what they now have is a house that is future-proof which is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The property is now listed on the market with Dafydd Hardy Estate Agents for a cool \u00a3300,000 but viewers will have to wait and see whether Nia and Mark\u2019s project came within budget and if they make a profit.<\/p>\n
Twenty-five-year-old Nia, who grew up in Caerphilly, near Cardiff, and is now living on Anglesey, is studying Ocean Science at Bangor University, admitted to feeling overwhelmed at the magnitude of the project in the beginning.<\/p>\n
Alongside fellow renovator Mark, the pair were given just \u00a335,000 to overhaul the \u00a3158k property based in Rhosybol, Anglesey, and create a sustainable home ready for the 21st<\/sup> Century.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I went into it quite na\u00efvely thinking there wouldn\u2019t be much to do but it was a huge project to finish within six months,\u201d said Nia, who previously studied Environmental Geography at Cardiff University.<\/p>\n \u201cThe eco side of things was the straightforward part. It was the traditional building issues that slowed us up. There were definitely a few points where I felt that it was unlikely we\u2019d finish at any point – let alone within six months.\u201d<\/p>\n Dad-of-three Mark, 33, who owns MH Roofing, added: \u201cWhen I walked in on the first day, I said it was the house of horrors! I thought to myself \u2018I\u2019m quitting, I\u2019m quitting, I\u2019m quitting\u2019!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone was saying \u2018even if it\u2019s not the about the money, it\u2019s an experience at the end of the day\u2019 so once I started to think of it like that, I cracked on.<\/p>\n \u201cThe roof was falling down, but that didn\u2019t scare me being a roofer myself, then I saw the ceilings were fully Artex, I knew that was going to be pricey to fix. None of the floors were level so we had to screed them first and then we had to take the chimney out which was crumbling. It was one thing after another.<\/p>\n \u201cI found it more stressful than I thought. Having a roofing company, I was flat out with work myself. It was also the summer holidays and I have three kids! Balancing it all was the hardest thing and nothing really could get done unless I was there.\u201d<\/p>\n forked out a sizeable chunk of their budget on a raft of new green features including an Air Source Heat Pump, underfloor heating, thermal cladding, solar panels and an electric car charging port.<\/p>\n As a result of their investment, the property is now virtually self-sufficient and valued at around \u00a3300,0000.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore this, I had honestly never used a drill before which Mark was less than pleased about!\u201d admitted Nia.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we ended up laying the underfloor heating and figured all that out ourselves. It was physically hard work laying pipes and took a few days, but it was easier than I expected. A year ago if you\u2019d said I would be doing this I would have laughed you out of the room.\u201d<\/p>\n Dafydd Hardy, managing director of Dafydd Harvey Estate Agents, said: \u201cNia and Mark have done all that was required of them to make it stand out as a sustainable project. From a marketing point of view, these are the things that will make it stand out on the market when comparing it to another property.<\/p>\n \u201cAverage three-bedroom bungalows in this area typically are priced around \u00a3250-\u00a3275,000 but this house will sell itself as it\u2019s fully sustainable and keeps energy in throughout the night rather than it going back to the grid.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wants to be known as an eco-house and within a 10-mile radius, it\u2019s the only eco-friendly house of its type that has come on the market. It\u2019s not been on the market very long and we\u2019re hoping to have a lot of interest over the next few weeks. This is the way things are going and so they\u2019re ahead of the game in that sense. This is a virtually brand new house that\u2019s prepared for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the toil and endless hurdles, both Nia and Mark have no regrets about their involvement with the project.<\/p>\n \u201cWe learned so much and that was where the real value of the experience was,\u201d said Nia.<\/p>\n \u201cThe next house I buy I\u2019m going to be able to save huge amounts of money because we can DIY a lot ourselves.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really highlighted to me that you don\u2019t have to spend a ridiculous amount on your house to make it eco-friendly. You can do any of those small things and you\u2019re halfway there. This was a real opportunity to not only reduce the home\u2019s carbon footprint but also to save money as well. That was such a good win for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Mark added: \u201cAt the end of the day, I actually quite enjoyed it and I don\u2019t regret doing it at all. I\u2019m proud of it all to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n