The supply of electrical energy to the Balehaus® could alternatively be provided by approx 30sqm of photovoltaic panels on an individual building basis or by several buildings linked to a small on site wind turbine.

Alternatively, if the Balehaus® was adopted over a larger site, biomass powered combined heat and power plant would become more economical, omitting the need for individual boilers in each house and at the same time providing the electrical energy.

Another option is for a large off-site wind turbine to provide the energy requirement for a similar scale of development. In these situations, the Balehaus® has the potential to be Carbon Negative over its entire lifespan.

We can help people reduce their electrical energy consumption even further. BaleHaus® will be able to talk to the occupants using Smart metering. BaleHaus®continuously feeds back information on power usage using wireless technology. This important information is available to residents in the kitchen, at their PC, on their TV, mobile phone and on a panel next to the front door. Smart metering enables people to see how much energy they are using and influences the choices they make about energy. The BRE has demonstrated that this can help people reduce energy usage by up to 30%. 

Often, we can be using energy without meaning to. For example, leaving phones, CD players, GameBoys, XBoxes, iPods HiFis, TVs etc either on standby or charging. A typical household is emitting 500kg of CO2 a year through this unintended waste. BaleHaus® has two ways of dealing with this. First, BaleHaus® has an additional electrical circuit set to 12 volts for all of our small power items. Secondly, when you leave a BaleHaus® there is a simple switch that turns off all but essential electrical use.