How can a Tudor manor house become carbon neutral without compromising its historic character?
Stefan Pitman will share the story of Athelhampton Zero, a pioneering retrofit project that has transformed the energy performance of the Dorset house. With a 130kW solar array, ground and air source heat pumps, and one of the UK’s largest Tesla Powerwall installations, the project has cut an annual energy bill of more than £100,000 to as little as £0–£500, while saving over 100 tonnes of CO₂ each year.
Drawing on SPASE’s work with Historic England, Stefan will explore how renewable energy technologies and low-carbon solutions were sensitively integrated into a protected historic building. He will share the challenges, opportunities and lessons from the project, offering practical insight into how historic buildings can be decarbonised while preserving the character and significance that makes them special.
The project has received national recognition, including the AJ Retrofit & Reuse Award for Decarbonisation and Net Zero and the RICS Environmental Impact Award, and was featured in Country Life’s Top 100 and on Robert Llewellyn’s Fully Charged Show.
