Our approach to energy and water is that we want to be as self-sufficient as possible. Pete has calculated that, if we can consume an average of 140 litres per day then we should be able to harvest and use rain water domestically and for irrigation, rather than buy in this precious resource (the calculation excludes the pool, which has a 24,000 litre capacity and is continuously topped up from one of our tanks).

If you'd like to know more about our rain harvesting system, we have dedicated several YouTube episodes to how we are collecting, filtering and storing rainwater.

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In September 2024, we finished installing our solar energy and battery system which enables us to minimise grid electricity. We have produced several YouTube episodes on the planning and installation of our solar system.

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We also want to minimise burning, which goes on a lot in this part of Italy. During the winter, the air in the towns is thick with smoke! La Bolla is probably one of the few country houses which doesn't have a woodburner, pellet burner or open fire - instead we have installed underfloor heating and air source heat pumps which will all be solar-powered. Tree cuttings and branches are shredded instead of burned, so that we can give them back to the land as mulch and provide some much needed bulk and nutrition to the soil. We do keep some wood to use in the pizza oven occasionally, though!