THE UK’s first zero-carbon holiday home business has
been shortlisted
in the Sustainable Tourism Award category in the 2014/15 Cornwall Tourism Awards, the winners of which will be announced today - November 6.
The Emerald – a group of five luxury self-catering
holiday homes near Truro – was created by former oil broker Tim Kemp and his
wife. In September last year it achieved the Government's highest sustainable
construction grading.
Mr Kemp said: ‘Having spent years as an oil broker
and realizing the dependence we have on fossil fuels, when I decided to build
my dream it had to be sustainable and eco-friendly … we all have to do our bit.
The best credentials for serious zero carbon was to build to code level six. No
one had yet done this for a holiday home. It was perfect, as it meant by doing
this, the houses had to be disability friendly as well as a lifetime home.’
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 nine categories including energy, water,
minerals, surface water run-off, waste, pollution, and ecology.
At The Emerald, the Kemps included rainwater
harvesting and grey water recycling 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, gym, resident chickens and pigs, and a Koi carp
lake.
The Emerald can be rented as individual properties
or as an entire estate for special occasions.
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