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William and Jane Weston, the owners of Brignall Mill, near Barnard Castle, have transformed the historic mill which had been converted into a unique holiday home.

The final touches are now being done to complete the eco-project, which include the installation of a micro-hydro electric scheme, a heat pump, solar panels and woodburners to make the mill warm and comfortable while being as self-sufficient in power as possible.

The couple were inspired to take on such a project for several reasons including there being no mains gas and no access for bulk fuel delivery, the increasing price of energy as well as a focus on the wider environmental benefits rather than pure financial payback.

Regional Development Agency One NorthEast gave the couple ?15,000 towards their costs of around ?45,000 to complete the project, which is aiding tourism in the area and is part of the region's wider green aspirations and the renewable energy ambitions described in the Regional Economic Strategy Action Plan ? just launched on Friday, May 18.

Jane said: ?When William and I bought the Mill in October 2006 we already had an interest in alternative ways of generating energy to power homes. More than a year on we have become much more knowledgeable about green issues and while it has been hard work it has been an inspirational process and never boring!

?Installing alternative technologies will make a large reduction in the environmental impact of your home and I think it is important we all start to do our bit for the environment and think of the future.?

The Ground Source Heat Pump consists of 600 metres of pipe which were buried a metre down in trenches in the Orchard Paddock.

It pumps a fluid, glycol, around the pipe system under the paddock where it picks up heat from the ground and brings it back to the house where the energy is transferred to water to provide heating and domestic hot water. For every kilowatt of energy put in to the pump system approximately four and a half comes out at the other end.

Old mill technology can't be used to generate electricity efficiently so the Weston's have installed a new British micro-turbine system by excavating a pipe trench from the River Greta through the Paddock to the turbine where the water should generate nearly three kilowatts of electricity.

This amount is a perfect match to the heat pump and will provide a small, additional amount of energy. In the summer when less energy is used, the power from the hydro will be sold back to the Grid.

One NorthEast funded the project from the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP) under the Rural Enterprise Scheme. The agency is now responsible for the socio-economic aspects of ERDP, following a transfer of responsibilities from Defra, to make rural delivery more streamlined and efficient.

Frances Rowe, Rural and Environment Manager at One NorthEast said: ?Heating and powering of houses accounts for almost a third of carbon dioxide produced in the UK so when people like Jane and William make a real effort to install measures to lower this amount it goes a long way to helping improve our environment.

?Projects like this are important to continue environmental improvements in the region and we hope that others take inspiration from this project whether it's just by making small but crucial changes to issues such as waste disposal or installing new systems in order to become more sustainable.?

In addition, the mill has two panels on the roof to pre-heat the hot water, with the panels hidden in a valley of the roof in order to meet conservation standards. It is also equipped with a carbon neutral convection wood burning stove.

In order to use a heat pump system it is vital that houses are insulated efficiently which was a challenge in an old, stone-built Listed Building with permission having to be sought for such alterations from Conservation authorities.

Jane added: ?The bureaucracy involved in a scheme like this can be overwhelming but we are grateful for the positive input we have received and the grant from One NorthEast to help us complete this eco-project.

?The payback periods for a scheme like this are still fairly long and you need security and commitment to see it through. On the plus side every time energy prices rise our payback period shortens which is very satisfying. It has been a fascinating journey and we?ve met some lovely inspirational people and are well on the way to achieving a green dream.?