Time to put on your EcoHats
Published Tuesday, 21st October 2008
You would be forgiven for thinking that EcoHats are the latest natty fashionable headwear made out of hemp or recycled plastic bottles (much like the picture here). But while much has been said about EcoHats in the last few days (see here and here) very few people know exactly what they are.
EcoHats are actually an construction innovation that maximises energy efficiency and provides passive solar water heating in houses.
Designed by Richard Rogers to boost the environmental credentials of Oxley Woods, an affordable housing project in Milton Keynes, EcoHats are essentially a chimney that sits on top of the services spine and reuses hot air circulating through the stack. Complemented by solar power it optimises energy consumption and provides passive solar water heating.
You can find out more here.
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We live in one of the Oxley Woods eco houses with the eco-hat (including hot water) and we’re blogging about our experiences as things progress.
To be honest it’s been a real mixed bag, with lots of problems, we certainly feel like it’s a test bed for this kind of building technology, and not really up to scratch just yet!