Renewable Energy

Since our inception, all Hawkes buildings have sought to follow the simple self-sufficiency mantra of “generate on site, use on site”. First we seek to reduce a building’s energy footprint with a highly insulated & airtight envelope. Then we look to grab as much free solar heating as possible. Only then do we look to blend a variety of renewable energy resources best placed to serve the building.

Our 3 Design Principles advocate finding ways of reducing a building’s need for energy in the first place through efficient fabric design (wrapping a building in a nice warm jacket) and harnessing as much free winter sunshine heating as possible.

Only once these opportunities have been taken do we turn to looking at how best to provide this optimised energy requirement using clean, sustainable renewable energy resources.

Some sites might be clear from the shading of trees and the topography well suited to embracing the harnessing of the sun to provide heat and power to serve the home.

Some sites might be blessed with an abundance of trees. Woodland requires management which in turn generates a quantum of biomass which can be stacked, dried & stored to provide free heating on demand, independent of fluctuations in energy prices. Heating a very efficient home with a modern biomass boiler can be a very clean, efficient, cheap, low maintenance sustainable solution.

Where a site might not be well suited to harnessing the power of the sun or self generated biomass, alternative sustainable technologies, including heat pumps, can be utilised.

There is no “one solution fits all”! The renewable energy solution for each building will be tailored to suit each site, each building and the preferences of each client. We advocate simplicity over complexity. Clever solutions can sometimes be difficult to understand and maintain!

One thing is for sure, we don’t allow oil or gas! Clean renewable energy all the way!