Zero carbon get-aways

A former oil broker has created Britain’s first zero-carbon holiday homes, which have achieved the Government's highest sustainable construction grading.

Tim Kemp and his wife Brigitte moved from Kent to Cornwall to create The Emerald, a small private holiday estate near Falmouth, centred on four purpose-built holiday properties designed to meet the toughest environmental standards on energy efficiency and sustainability.

As well as creating two 1-bedroom and two 3-bedroom luxury holiday lets, the Kemps installed 30kwh of solar photovoltaic panels to provide energy for the buildings, which are triple-glazed.

To qualify for a six star rating, properties are subject to rigorous assessment during and after construction, and must meet specific criteria and standards across categories including  energy, surface water run-off,  pollution and ecology.

At The Emerald, the Kemps included rainwater harvesting and grey water re-cycling systems, planted 10,000 daffodils and 150 native trees, and drilled a bore hole to a depth equivalent to the height of Truro Cathedral to access the natural water table.

Facilities at The Emerald include an indoor heated swimming pool, a tennis court, gymnasium, orchards, resident chickens and pigs, and Koi carp lake with pergola – all on 5.5 acres between Falmouth and Truro.

For more information, log on to Perfect Stays (www.perfectstays.co.uk or call 01208 895570.

Go Holiday news