InitiativeCase Study - 19th Century Terrace Turns Green
Families will move into six of the most eco friendly homes in the country thanks to a partnership between Newcastle Borough Council, Staffordshire Housing Association and Renew North Staffordshire.
In Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent there are tens of thousands of terraced houses built in the late 19th century which are predominantly privately owned and rented.
The Eco terrace project intends to demonstrate what can be done to bring this housing stock up to date by converting six, turn of the century terraced properties, which are usually the least energy efficient, to meet modern eco-standards.
The terraced houses had energy performance certificate ratings F and G. The completed homes are now among the most energy efficient and ecologically sound homes in Staffordshire. The first two houses to be converted have achieved the Eco Homes “eco-excellent” standard for their energy performance, minimal pollution and water conservation, the highest rating possible.
Birmingham based Axis design Architects started work on the first two properties in October and have designed the six demonstration houses to be slightly different but each adhering to core design principles: delivering carbon reductions, cash savings as well as comfort and lifestyle benefits to residents.
The two first houses feature high efficiency gas boilers, but passive heating provided by glazed sun spaces and solar panels (Sunwarm) could mean that the radiators remain unused for long periods.
Nuaire supplied two Sunwarm installations for these two homes which were opened in May by celebrity ecologist, David Bellamy. The Sunwarm systems will provide solar hot water, solar air heating, whole home ventilation and air cooling according to residents requirements. Sunwarm can save up to 50% of the energy used to heat a home and hot water, even if the home is well insulated and energy efficient.
The houses also benefit from ecologically-friendly bamboo flooring and kitchen worktops and rainwater harvesting. Low energy lighting, recycled building materials and fabric insulation are also used throughout the property. A range of sunspaces are integrated into the design to deliver sunlight deep into the living space, in houses which traditionally have little natural light. This glazed area also opens up a direct connection to the rear garden.
Residents will be moving into the first two houses in July. Work on the four remaining houses will start in August to be completed by the end of the year. All six homes will eventually be sold or rented out by Staffordshire Housing. Nuaire will also be providing a heat recovery system (MRXBOX90) and a positive input ventilation system (Drimaster 2000) into two of the remaining houses.
The completed houses will be subjected to a two year monitoring phase to judge the effectiveness of the different measures both in terms of energy benefits and also resident life style improvements.
Return to:
|
| ||
|
| ||
|
|
