High Ridge Barn Eco Creds

We were determined to reduce the carbon footprint of High Ridge from the moment we bought it. Over the past 6 years we’ve managed to make several impactful changes and continue to find new environmentally-friendly products and adopt ecologically sound practices.

Electricity

In an effort to reduce as far as possible our use of fossil fuels we have invested in two large solar panel on-roof systems, combined with Tesla Powerwall II battery storage units. This has enabled High Ridge to be almost self-sufficient in electricity, to have stored power in the event of a power cut, and also to export excess electricity back to the national grid for use by others.

Courtesy of the Tesla app, we can monitor the power generation, storage and consumption in both the farmhouse and Barn at all times.

All interior and exterior lights are low-consumption LED lights.

The plug-in night-lights double as torches simply by removing them from their holder, making them useful for late-night dog walks. This saves on batteries, and only uses a small amount of electricity to charge them.

EV Charging

To encourage electric vehicle usage we have installed a Zappi 7kw electric vehicle charger at the Barn.

Central & water heating systems

We’ve recently invested in replacing the farmhouse LPG heating with an Air Source Heat Pump. The barn is too large for an Air Source Heat Pump to be effective, and we ruled out biomass due to the ongoing wood pellet shortage/controversy. The cost of multiple Ground Source Heat Pump boreholes was prohibitive, and we don’t have sufficient flat land for slinkies. When HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) becomes available and affordable to domestic users, we’ll switch from kerosene as HVO burns more efficiently and as hot as oil but emits 98% less CO2.

Eco products

Wherever possible we provide eco items for your use. This includes; compostable bin liners, organic shampoo and conditioner, handmade organic soap bars, bamboo kitchen rolls, loo paper and tissues, organic toothpaste, bamboo ear buds, compostable dog poo bags, organic make-up removal pads and cream, recycled rubber gloves, organic compostable feminine hygiene products, organic toothpaste, plastic-free tea bags, organic Fairtrade sugar, and organic Fairtrade coffee beans.

Recycling

In addition to the usual recycling of glass, tin, paper and plastic, we provide waste food caddies for raw veg, fruit, eggshells, coffee grounds and tea bags. This is added to our own food waste compost bin.

Water

We’ve recently invested in a water borehole which relieves usage pressure on the mains in times of drought, and provides High Ridge with all the water it needs both inside and out. We’ve also installed two large rain-harvesting water butts behind the farmhouse which we use for watering the garden.

Trees

Courtesy the Peak Park Small Woodland Planting Scheme, 400 native saplings were planted on our steep land, some of which are now at least 5m tall. The varieties include beech, birch, oak, field maple, hawthorn, holly, and rowan.

In addition we’ve planted 30 assorted northern cultivar fruit trees, most of which are very productive. Varieties include eating and cooking apples, damsons, pears, mirabelles, and crab apple.

When it becomes necessary to remove an old tree due to disease such as ash die-back, the wood is cut into logs and rounds, and seasoned in our woodshed for use in both buildings' log burners, and the sauna. The smaller branches and brash are chipped on site for use in the covered hen run, and as mulch on our various paths and borders.

Planting scheme

The gardens at High Ridge are planted with bee- and butterfly-friendly shrubs such as heathers, alliums, dogrose, honeysuckle and clematis. The silted pond we inherited had to be dug out, lined and planted, and is now a wildlife haven for birds, dozens of frogs, dragonflies and toads.

Local produce

The welcome pack includes eggs from our free-range rescue hens, local Crag mineral water, Peak District honey, and a freshly baked organic loaf from our farmhouse.

Sauna

The Peak Park forbids the release of grey water directly into water courses effectively ruling out hot tubs – which are monster consumers of water and electricity, so we provide eco Scandi wood burning saunas instead, which only use a few seasoned logs from our own estate, plus kindling and eco-firelighters from sustainable sources.

Christmas trees and decorations

Cut Christmas trees seem a waste of a perfectly good tree, so for our farmhouse and Barn decorations we always use potted live trees such as FSC sourced spruce. After the festivities these are planted in the field behind the sauna – 4 so far and all doing well!

The dog-safe tree decorations are used every year, and the exterior fairy lights and wreaths are lit by LED bulbs.