By Nic Lance
The Hockerton Housing Project is an ecological community living in five earth-sheltered houses, near Southwell, Nottinghamshire. For Nick White, the "experiment" in sustainable living all started when he was browsing through 'The Smallholder' magazine. A small ad caught his attention: "Ecologically sound project on a 25 acre organic site in Nottinghamshire". He had been considering other alternatives, such as an oyster farm in Scotland but, a weekend spent with the Hockerton group and the architects, Brenda and Robert Vale, convinced him that this was a project he could put his heart into.
In fact, the Vales - authors of 'The New Autonomous House' and 'Green Architecture' - held academic posts at the University of Nottingham as well as running their own practice (they have now moved to the University of Auckland, New Zealand). Brenda and Robert Vale built the first autonomous house in Britain and have built low-cost social housing as well as an energy-efficient doctors' surgery in Sheffield. The upshot of the meeting was that Nick left his corporate job and his semi-detached cottage in Welwyn Garden City and moved to Hockerton.
From the front, the five terraced houses by the lake look conventional enough - a conservatory runs the full length. But, don't be fooled! The glass, from Sweden, is treble-glazed and argon filled (which costs no more than standard double-glazed units). Glance up at the skyline and there are long photovoltaic panels along the whole length of the houses and, to the rear of the houses is an earth-mound resembling a Neolithic long barrow. The 'earth shelter' is essential because it absorbs heat and holds it for months. Amazingly, the temperature varies little during the year, remaining at a fairly constant 19ºC to 24ºC. Heat comes from the conservatories when the sun shines but also from body heat and electrical appliances. On hot summer days, the interior stays cool. Even at the height of the August heatwave - with temperatures around 35ºC - the temperature indoors peaked at 24ºC and members of the project retreated inside to cool down.
These are truly 'autonomous' buildings. Electricity is supplied by two wind turbines as well as the solar panels. Copper guttering collects rainwater from the roof for drinking purposes. Not only does this avoid the use of PVC, but the copper has the advantage of being slightly anti-bacterial, explained Trude White - who showed us around the site. The rainwater then goes through a carbon filter and is exposed to UV light to kill off any bacteria. A reservoir also collects water for non-drinking purposes. Sewage is treated in their own reed bed containing what she described as "bog-standard" sedges!
These are incredibly energy-efficient, super-insulated houses. In fact, the Hockerton Housing Project is amongst the most energy-efficient homes in Europe - consuming 10% of the energy used by conventional homes. But it wasn't easy to achieve. It took two appeals and four years to get the application for the 26m tall 'Proven' wind turbine passed. This was vital for self-sufficiency as the first wind turbine cost half the price of the solar panels but produced twice the output of electricity.
To begin with, the press were less than encouraging - headlines included "Swampy meets Wimpy" and "Troglodytes". Now the tone has changed - the Hockerton families are being described as "green pioneers". The community give tours of the project and a proportion of their time is spent giving consultancy advice to other groups wanting to start sustainable communities. They have also published 'Sustainable Housing Schemes in the UK', profiling 31 schemes in depth and summarising a further 50.
The community of five families includes an engineer and Open University tutor, a builder and a doctor but they all share a desire to live more sustainably and to reduce their environmental and social impact. This includes growing or harvesting much of their food: vegetables from the communal garden, lamb from the sheep roaming near the orchard, fish from the lake, eggs and Hockerton honey. When I arrived in Hockerton, the bees were swarming and Nick was chasing the swarm in protective clothing. Trude was keen to point out that being more self-sufficient in food reduces food miles and CO2 emissions. "We do go out and buy bananas sometimes, but we think very hard, so sometimes we choose a luxury rather than a green product". Food production is considered so important that each family is committed to eight hours per week and graphs are drawn to chart their progress.
Expertise and equipment are shared - garden implements as well as a communal tractor and an electric Peugeot car which does a radius of 60 miles, allowing them to get to Nottingham and back. At each equinox the community has a "maintenance day" when everybody joins in. Being part of a community is not all hard graft though - the children swim, canoe and sail on the manmade lake. The wildlife has benefited too. Four thousand trees have been planted and buzzards and kingfishers spotted. Just as we were leaving, a heron landed at the edge of the lake by a beautiful wooden bridge.
For many, "self-sufficiency" or "zero CO2 emissions" are mere pipedreams. However, these families have decided to "walk the talk" whilst at the same time holding down "professional" jobs. They are not hardened campaigners but they have a quiet determination to live a better, more holistic life. It is as if they want to prove to us that there is another way of living that needn't cost the earth- 'The Good Life' is a reality in Hockerton! The technology exists and it needn't be expensive - these houses cost a modest £65,000 to build.
Elements of these autonomous houses could be incorporated into new housing. And cheaper fuel bills would be a real bonus. A recent survey showed that one in five British households has difficulty paying their energy and water bills - so wouldn't it make sense to take a leaf from the Hockerton Housing Project. I have glimpsed the future and it's green!
This article first appeared in Resurgence
More information can be found on their website: www.hockerton.demon.co.uk or telephone Nick White on 01636 816902. Visits by prior arrangement.
