Case Study

Hill Top House

After 13 years of planning their dream home, Jamie & Madeline have now built a fully sustainable, eco-friendly house.

We followed up with Jamie to find out more about their home as well as their Andersen A2 charge point.

"What vehicle do you drive, how long have you been driving electric, and what made you make the switch?"

VW ID3… alongside an “old school” (diesel, albeit converted to Euro 6) Land Rover Defender in the country and for longer drives! During the week we live in London, within the recently-expanded ULEZ zone. We had three ULEZ non-compliant cars and it was time to address this by replacing one with an EV; converting one to be ULEZ compliant; and getting rid of the third. Clearly, EVs are a big party of the motoring future and we felt that it had to be the optimal, cleanest and most environmentally-friendly solution for driving in London and for shorter journeys.

"Your home is beautiful, what is the story behind your build?"

Our eco-sustainable home was in the making from as early as 2003. The build was a sustainable project that incorporated many eco-friendly features, such as solar panels, triple-glazed windows, and a rainwater harvesting system. The process took several years due to challenges with obtaining planning permission. With a survey error found in 2019, groundworks has to grind to a halt and did not continue until 2020. However, we persevered and eventually built a beautiful, environmentally-conscious home that we are proud of.

"What vehicle do you drive, how long have you been driving electric, and what made you make the switch?"

VW ID3… alongside an “old school” (diesel, albeit converted to Euro 6) Land Rover Defender in the country and for longer drives! During the week we live in London, within the recently-expanded ULEZ zone. We had three ULEZ non-compliant cars and it was time to address this by replacing one with an EV; converting one to be ULEZ compliant; and getting rid of the third. Clearly, EVs are a big party of the motoring future and we felt that it had to be the optimal, cleanest and most environmentally-friendly solution for driving in London and for shorter journeys.

"Your home is beautiful, what is the story behind your build?"

Our eco-sustainable home was in the making from as early as 2003. The build was a sustainable project that incorporated many eco-friendly features, such as solar panels, triple-glazed windows, and a rainwater harvesting system. The process took several years due to challenges with obtaining planning permission. With a survey error found in 2019, groundworks has to grind to a halt and did not continue until 2020. However, we persevered and eventually built a beautiful, environmentally-conscious home that we are proud of.

"How did you hear about Andersen and what made you pick an A2? "

I was looking for a 22KW domestic EV charger to make the most of the 3 phase electricity supply we had installed at the house. The ID3 cannot charge at 22KW but I wanted to “futureproof” the house for any new EVs we may have in the future or, indeed, those belonging to visitors to the house which may be able to charge at 22KW. The A2 allows 22KW charging; has good functionality; and, importantly, looks great.

"What colour did you go for and why?"

The A2 is positioned on a gabion wall made from local flint. The colours I chose (Southbank Grey and Putty Stone) match, and blend in with, the colour of the flint.

"How did you hear about Andersen and what made you pick an A2? "

I was looking for a 22KW domestic EV charger to make the most of the 3 phase electricity supply we had installed at the house. The ID3 cannot charge at 22KW but I wanted to “futureproof” the house for any new EVs we may have in the future or, indeed, those belonging to visitors to the house which may be able to charge at 22KW. The A2 allows 22KW charging; has good functionality; and, importantly, looks great.

"What colour did you go for and why?"

The A2 is positioned on a gabion wall made from local flint. The colours I chose (Southbank Grey and Putty Stone) match, and blend in with, the colour of the flint.

"You mentioned you opted for three phase – what made you choose that and how has this benefitted you?"

The house is a new build and 100% electric with all heating, cooking and, naturally, EV charging powered by electricity. Installing a 3 phase electricity supply was the optimal electrical engineering solution to cater for a relatively heavy draw on power. Luckily the grid connection was relatively close by although we did have to bury the cables under a road.

Are there any specific features about the Andersen that you like?

Specifically, the very simple “plug-and-play”, charging is something I really like about the Andersen A2. In addition, I really like that we are able to monitor usage and charging cost's (particularly at the moment); and the great design and aesthetic of the charge point.

"You mentioned you opted for three phase – what made you choose that and how has this benefitted you?"

The house is a new build and 100% electric with all heating, cooking and, naturally, EV charging powered by electricity. Installing a 3 phase electricity supply was the optimal electrical engineering solution to cater for a relatively heavy draw on power. Luckily the grid connection was relatively close by although we did have to bury the cables under a road.

Are there any specific features about the Andersen that you like?

Specifically, the very simple “plug-and-play”, charging is something I really like about the Andersen A2. In addition, I really like that we are able to monitor usage and charging cost's (particularly at the moment); and the great design and aesthetic of the charge point.

Do you have any other tips for potential self-home builders when it comes to energy?

With pretty much all new houses now being 100% electric, try and install a 3 phase supply at the build stage if you can. Also, remember to lay the ducting and armoured cabling for the EV charger during the build which will save you time and cost when it comes to the final installation