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North Wales developers are set to turn a Victorian chapel into one of the UK's most energy efficient homes.
The environmentally friendly building will feature some of the latest energy-saving technologies from around the world, including a unique heating system using solar panels and state-of-the-art heated windows.
When completed the 150-year-old chapel, set in the heart of Snowdonia, North Wales, is expected to be more than 400 percent more energy efficient than a standard family house.
It will even be one of the few buildings in Britain to be awarded an Energy Performance Certificate level 'A', the British government's highest possible environmental rating.
Builder Bob Kane of Lake Properties (UK) Ltd, and his North Wales team took on the challenge to prove even the oldest of properties can be transformed into a home fit for the demands of the 21st century.
However, despite all the hi-tech advances none of the chapel's original character and charm has been lost, with recycled materials or reclaimed materials being used wherever possible.
“There have been massive advances in building materials over the past few years and I want to show people just what can be achieved with the right knowledge and skills,” said Bob, who has 30 years of experience in renovating properties.
“It’s important that everyone in the building industry realises they need to do their bit for the environment.
“We shouldn’t just go for the quickest, cheapest option but consider the impact our developments are having on the planet and what we can do to make them more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.
Bob claims he gets more satisfaction working with an old building such as the chapel at Brynrefail, just outside Llanberis in Snowdonia, North Wales, than most new-build projects.
“I'm passionate about old buildings, especially Welsh chapels, and hate seeing them just being left to crumble down,”
“It's great when you can save a building that's part of our history,” he added.
Top estate agent Dafydd Hardy has worked with Lake Properties (UK) Ltd on many environmentally friendly developments and says renovated chapels are becoming highly sought after in North Wales.
“The quality of the original craftsmanship in these old chapels is phenomenal – some of them took years to build,” Dafydd said.
“When renovated properly they can offer a lot of living space and now, with the work that Bob is doing, they don't consist of big, cold and draughty rooms as some of them did in the past.”
“In fact as we've shown with the Brynrefail chapel, these 150-year-old buildings now have more mod-cons and are more energy efficient than most houses built last year!” Dafydd added.
How the 1860s chapel in Brynrefail, North Wales, has been turned into one of the UK's most environmentally friendly buildings.
Image: Rawich / FreeDigitalPhotos.net