A ‘solar house’ - heated by the sun’s energy all year round - is being built in Great Glen. It is believed to be a first in this country.

The detached two-storey house, situated on a two-acre site - will feature innovative architecture including solar panels on a roof canopy bordered by areas of living sedum - a plant which helps keeps the roof waterproof.

Solar energy collected in summer will be stored by heating the ground beneath the building and this energy will be retrieved through a heat pump when needed in the winter.

Hybrid solar panels will collect enough heat from the sun to provide heating and hot water and twice the electricity needed to run the system. Bronze metallic solar wall panels will pre-heat the incoming ventilation air.

This enables the home - being called the Solar House - to achieve ‘zero carbon’ status, generating more energy than it uses, say Caplin Homes, who will build it.

The ground-breaking technology has put it in line for support from the Department for Energy and Climate Change under their “Energy Entrepreneurs Fund”.