New scheme will slash energy bills
A REVOLUTIONARY social housing scheme that will slash energy costs for tenants is taking shape in Long Sutton.
The scheme, in Bridge Road, has been named Unity Gardens by owner Lincolnshire Rural Housing Association (LRHA), which has worked in partnership with eco-friendly architect SEArch.
The development features three two-bedroom and three three-bedroom homes set in two acres of lush landscaped gardens and allotments and when completed will utilise state-of-the-art technology to minimise energy costs.
With features including solar panels, rainwater harvesting, earth-bunding and an on-site vertical axis wind turbine, tenants selected by LRHA will have relative autonomy over their energy, water and waste management.
The scheme is an evolution of the UK’s first earth-sheltered social housing development in Honingham, Norfolk, which was constructed as part of SEArch’s Dr Jerry Harrall PhD thesis.
In 2006, its tenants enjoyed average weekly energy charges of 5.30 – 80 per cent less than the annual average costs of a two-bedroom dwelling.
However, Unity Gardens is expected to far exceed this saving, with residents also receiving a small income from the sale of electricity generated by their homes back to the National Grid.
Unity Gardens is just one of a number of projects SEArch is involved in at the moment, with its Carbon Neutral Business Zone (CaNeBuZo), in Gedney Road, nearing completion.
The site witnessed a landmark moment last month when the UK’s first Skyrota Vertical Axis Wind Turbine was installed, capable of producing five kilowatts of energy.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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