Energy Saving Weekly Tips » homes

Nearly 2,000 Level 4 homes for London

admin — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:59:23 +0000

London is to receive 1,900 low carbon homes from two new projects, it has been announced.

Built to be 44 per cent more energy efficient than 2006 Building Regulations, or Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, the properties will be in Newham and in Croydon.

They will be installed with centralised combined heat and power systems and biomass boilers, removing the need for each home to have a gas boiler.

It is the latest partnership between E.ON and Barratt Homes, which has already constructed 1,500 low carbon homes in London.

According to the builder, the 3,400 properties will save nearly 18,500 tonnes over the next ten years.

E.ON’s head of community energy Jeremy Bungey, explained: “Decentralised energy centres, which generate community based, low carbon energy from more sustainable sources, help customers to lower their energy bills by using energy more efficiently and lowering carbon emissions.”

Meanwhile, in the social housing sector, Walsall Housing Group is investing £1.5 million to retrofit a tower block in Walsall, installing double glazing, better insulation and central heating.

Posted by Mark Stephens

For more information please see: whg

View the original article here

Super Energy Efficient Homes from Blu Homes

admin — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:02:18 +0000

Green Technology: Super Energy Efficient Homes from Blu Homes

Green Technology Achieve a Sustainable Future with Green Technology. Create Innovation for New Energy. « University research leadership studies energy sustainability | Main

Super Energy Efficient Homes from Blu Homes

With energy costs still climbing interest in energy efficient homes continues to grow.

Blu Homes manufactures very energy efficient homes. ” …cost on average 50 to 70 percent less to operate on a monthly basis than conventional homes. Performing significantly beyond even Energy Star standards, … ” .

Lower energy costs translate to lower operating costs, lower energy use and a lower carbon footprint.

Check out the details on the Breezehouse (a green home with lots of natural light) – from BluHomes. Green features include passive solar, high efficiency heating / ventilating / AC systems, solar panels and tight insulated construction.

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Via: Blu Homes LINK

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Posted by Green Dude on May 9, 2011 10:07 PM | Permalink|

Category: Blu Homes

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Victorian terraces converted into Level 4 homes

admin — Thu, 12 May 2011 05:00:02 +0000

The news feeds on this site are independently provided by Adfero Limited © and do not represent the views or opinions of the Energy Saving Trust.

A number of Victorian terraces are to be renovated in Salford to create new low carbon apartments.

Great Places Housing Group will work on the £2.8 million development of 26 terraces that will be converted into 11 three and four-bedroom homes and 17 new-build properties.

The new homes are expected to reach Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes while the terraces will meet an Eco-Homes rating of ‘very good’.

Although they will keep their Victorian period details, the homes will provide examples of sustainable design to other housing professionals seeking to retrofit the UK’s existing housing stock.

The Homes and Communities Agency provided £1.15 million towards the cost of the project, which will cater to increased demand in the area.

Salford City Council’s lead member for housing Cllr Peter Connor commented: “This development is a key piece in delivering the overall regeneration of the Langworthy area … We are delighted Great Places is now able to start this scheme as it will have a really positive impact for local residents.”

Posted by Mark Stephens

For more information please see: Great Places Housing Group

View the original article here

Level 3 Northumberland homes built from stone and slate

admin — Mon, 09 May 2011 18:47:02 +0000

New homes built in Allendale, Northumberland, are set to be finished in June, complete with energy efficient features.

Built to Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, the three and four-bedroom homes have be constructed with local stone and slate and feature a number of low carbon features including wood burning stoves.

The four properties will be available on a shared ownership basis and the new residents will be able to cut the cost of the energy bills and carbon emissions.

Receiving funding from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), the four properties will soon be followed by 22 new builds.

George Scott, area manager at the HCA, commented: “These homes will be a huge boost to local people who might otherwise have to move away in search of a family home.”

Meanwhile in Northampton, tenants are preparing to move into 22 new affordable Level 3 homes, featuring solar thermal panels.

Posted by Mark Stephens

For more information please see: Homes and Communities Agency

View the original article here

Coventry eco homes given green light

admin — Fri, 06 May 2011 12:22:02 +0000

Two eco homes have been given the green light to be built in Coventry.

Run as an experiment, the buildings in Canley will be monitored for their energy efficiency, even when they are let out to council tenants.

The Coventry Telegraph reported that a post-graduate student at Coventry University will collate data from the buildings and see which is the most efficient.

One of the homes will be built to Passivhaus standards, while the other will be built to Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Work will begin in July after the city council approved the project.

Councillor Marcus Lapsa, shadow cabinet member for housing, sustainability and infrastructure, told the news provider: “With the Canley Regeneration Project stalling a little because of the housing market, this is an excellent opportunity.

“Going forward with this project will shine the spotlight on Coventry. It’s really positive stuff.”

It is hoped that the builders and suppliers of the projects will gain experience and develop skills in low carbon homes ahead of the 2016 deadline to build all new homes to a zero carbon standard.

Posted by Emily Thomas

For more information please see: Coventry Telegraph

View the original article here

‘Penguin behaviour’ inspires zero carbon homes

admin — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:54:02 +0000

The latest zero carbon homes to be constructed in England have been inspired by the behaviour of penguins, according to Four Housing Group’s director of development and regeneration Lynda Peacock.

Mimicking the action of thousands of emperor penguins huddling together to reduce the amount of surface area exposed to the cold, 21 homes in South Shields, Tyneside, have been designed with the main rooms facing south, with minimal exposed northern elevations, Ms Peacock explained to 24Dash.com.

But there are more features that make the £3.6 million development exceed Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, including £300,000 worth of solar photovoltaic panels, a biomass boiler and insulation.

Speaking to the news provider, Anne Mulroy, head of area at the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), said: “The Reed Street scheme will help to set a new standard for green living in the North East.

“The new carbon-negative homes will put South Tyneside at the cutting edge of sustainable construction, as well as improving a key gateway to the town’s riverside regeneration area.”

The HCA provided £1.7 million of funding for the project.

Posted by Emily Thomas

For more information please see: 24 Dash

View the original article here

Netherlands tests automated-energy homes

admin — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:29:02 +0000

Diagram of how the pilot home energy systems works, with written explanations in Dutch

(Credit: Enexis)

Two new housing developments in Breda, the Netherlands, will serve as a two-year pilot project to see whether a home decked out in smart-energy tech with access to multiple energy sources, not just the electric grid, is the answer to energy savings.

Through a partnership with Netherlands grid operator Enexis, power company Greenchoice, and housing developer Heja, more than 300 homes have been built incorporating the latest energy-saving technologies. The pilot program, called Jouw Energie Moment (Your Energy Moment), could determine how people in the Netherlands choose to handle home energy management and building design going forward.

The Meulenspie development consists of 57 energy-neutral homes, while the Easy Street development consists of 246 apartments. Prices for the Meulenspie homes start at 205,000 euros ($297,000) for a small two-bedroom home and go up to 569,000 euros ($823,000) for the largest four-bedroom. Prices for Easy Street begin at 139,000 euros ($201,000) for a one-bedroom apartment with balcony, and go to 195,000 euros ($282,000) for the largest two-bedroom corner apartments.

Both the houses and apartments include solar panels, smart appliances, smart metering, and an interactive computer monitoring system. Some have the option of a charging station for an electric car.

Only the smart appliances in this case can communicate with more than just a smart grid, informing it of peak and off-peak usage hours. They’re connected to solar panels on the roof of the apartment buildings and homes, as well as the grid, and are alerted when the sun is shining and electricity being generated from the solar panels is readily available.

The home energy system gives people more options because they can choose to run specific appliances during off-peak hours, which is often at night, and others during sun-peak hours.

The system gives people options for choosing things like the cheapest energy of the day, or the most sustainable option of the day, down to each appliance, and they can change-up their choices day by day. The pilot program will then track how people actively manage the choices, including whether they choose to let the home manage its energy use autonomously from a set of given preferences.

Many companies, governments, and analysts have been touting the benefits to be gained from integration of multiple energy sources. This project takes that theory down to the micro level. Instead of just the electricity company drawing from multiple sources, the Breda homes can draw from the most efficient source at hand at any given time.

The aim of the project is not to test smart-appliance and smart-grid technology; that’s already been proven to work in various projects. It’s to test how people choose to use it and whether a home decked out in all of the latest smart-energy tech and multi-source energy options will save energy long-term, according to Enexis.

View the original article here

Tenants prepare to move into Level 3 homes

admin — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 06:09:02 +0000

Tenants are getting reading to move into 22 new affordable homes in Northampton, built to Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

The £2.5 million development, which received £691,000 from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), was built on the site of a former school.

Low carbon features include solar thermal panels, which will provide hot water and reduce the energy bills for residents.

Northampton Borough Council and East Midlands Housing Group will provide the two, three and four-bedroom properties for social rent and shared ownership.

“We are pleased to support this project, which has rejuvenated a brownfield site to provide high quality affordable homes that meets the needs of local people,” commented Jon Turner, investment and regeneration manager for the HCA.

It was reported earlier this month that 40 new Level 3 flats have been built in Manchester, specially designed for older residents, featuring solar panels, communal hot water, under floor heating air source heat pumps.

Posted by Mark Stephens

For more information please see: Code for Sustainable Homes

View the original article here

Full steam ahead on Level 3 Sheffield homes

admin — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:05:02 +0000

Marking good progress in the construction of an affordable homes development in Sheffield, a commemorative date stone has been laid.

Once complete, the 54 properties will meet Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes standard, reducing the energy costs for residents.

Low energy features will include solar hot water systems and a Sustainable Urban Drainage Scheme system.

Commenting on the commemoration, councillor Penny Baker, Sheffield City Council’s cabinet member for housing, regeneration and planning, said: “We are determined that the regeneration of the city will continue even in the challenging economic climate we are facing currently.

“This development is a great example of high quality, energy efficient homes being built in the city, to improve the quality of life of residents.”

Built at a cost of £6 million, the two, three and four-bedroom properties are replacing unsuitable prefabricated 1960s homes.

Last month plans were approved for Level 3 homes to be built in Hertford, featuring sun pipes and highly efficient gas boilers.

Posted by Mark Stephens

For more information please see: Code for Sustainable Homes

View the original article here

Govt ‘U-turns’ on zero carbon homes policy

admin — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 05:56:20 +0000

The government has been criticised for making a U-turn on the zero carbon homes policy.

In an accompanying document to the Budget, it states that the 2016 target to make all new homes zero carbon will no longer be set. Instead, the industry must make sure that carbon emission levels are no greater than those set out by the Building Regulations.

Building Regulations cover emissions from energy use through heating, hot water and building services but not from plug-in electrical appliances. The document stated that these are “beyond the influence of housebuilders and will be addressed by other policies, for example the EU Emissions Trading Scheme”.

Paul King, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council, said zero carbon no longer does what it says on the tin.

“We now have a policy that is not only anti-green but anti-growth,” he added. “Low carbon construction has been one of the few sectors showing genuine green shoots of growth.

“This U-turn will result in loss of confidence leading to lower investment, less innovation, fewer green jobs and fewer carbon reductions.”

Posted by Mark Stephens

For more information please see: The Plan for Growth report

View the original article here