Feasibility & Direction
Begin with the smallest useful assessment. Compare the grid, off-grid and hybrid routes; identify the viable generation mix; and understand the principal risks.
Stage one · from £595Ian Hewson · Principal Energy Systems Consultant
Independent energy advice for rural and off-grid homes.
Make confident decisions about solar, wind, batteries, heating and backup. I bring more than twenty years of practical experience to a joined-up energy strategy for your home, self-build or rural conversion.
20+ years · 127 systems designed · Nationally recognised projects
Independent of manufacturers and installers · Wales · Projects across the UK and by arrangement overseas
20+years at the front line of renewable and off-grid design
127systems designed by Ian in the private monitored portfolio
UKexperience across rural homes and commercial off-grid sites
485 MWhrecorded solar energy across 100 reporting sites in 2025
Monitored off-grid family home
A £100,000+ grid connection problem became a practical five-bedroom home.
An integrated 26.8 kWp solar array, 41.4 kWh nominal battery bank, air-source heating and automatic generator support, designed around the house and monitored since 2019.
11,035 kWhrecorded supply to household loads in 2025
0 kWhgrid import or export
“We live almost exactly as we'd live if we were on the grid.”
A body of work built over decades
Experience is only valuable when it changes the decision.
I have designed every system in a private monitored portfolio of 127 installations. The record reveals what annual estimates miss: household behaviour, prolonged poor weather, starting loads, battery controls and winter compromises. I apply those lessons before the architecture and equipment choices are fixed.
Why this experience mattersOperational evidence
Plan for the difficult weeks.
Monitoring shows when energy is needed, how batteries behave and when backup becomes necessary. The sequence of low-generation days, not just the annual total, determines whether a design is practical.
How monitoring informs the designHouse Energy Modelling
Test the whole home before the design is fixed.
HEM connects fabric, heating, hot water, household demand, renewable generation, storage and backup. It compares the choices through a full year and then tests the difficult winter periods that annual totals can hide.
Scenario comparisonMonthly energy balanceWinter stress testing
Flagship HEM concept study
What could an exceptional off-grid home become?
Explore a modelled family barn conversion where architecture, solar, wind, storage, heating and backup are designed as one system. Then see the questions that stand between an inspiring idea and a resilient home.
Illustrative concept · not a completed project
Explore the barn conversion of the futureOne home · One strategy
SolarWindStorageHeat & hot waterGrid & backup
Wind is not an afterthought and solar is not the answer to every site. The generation mix is judged against local resource, planning, exposure, seasonal demand, maintenance and the economics of the complete home.
How wind, solar and storage are assessedOne service · developed in stages
Whole-House Energy Strategy.
Direct consultation with Ian is included at every stage, with time allowed for live review and discussion as the work develops. No VAT charged. Scope and total fee agreed before work begins.
Developed Strategy
Where the project justifies it, model fabric, heating, hot water, solar, wind, storage, backup and running costs as one coordinated system.
Stage two · from £1,750Optional Build Support
Keep the agreed strategy joined up through specification, installer discussions, construction and commissioning when continuing guidance is useful.
£375 half day · £750 full dayEvidence you can inspect
See the work behind the advice.
Monitored projectsResidential, research and three-phase systems with real figures and clear role attribution.Media & recognitionNational coverage, universities, awards and manufacturer project features, linked to their original sources.Twenty years of contextThe work behind the consultancy, including previous roles and collaborations.
Before you choose equipment
Find out whether the plan works as a complete home.
You do not need a finished design or a list of products. Send a brief outline of the property, its location and the decisions you are facing.
Request a feasibility review