Four lucky families are now back in their newly retrofitted eco council homes following an extreme green makeover that will massively reduce the properties’ CO2 emissions.
Crawley Borough Council were able to do this work after we won just under half a million pounds through the national Retrofit for the Future competition run by the Technology Strategy Board. The properties in Furnace Green, Langley Green, Pound Hill and Three Bridges are just four of only 86 across the whole of the UK that were chosen.
It’s the first time we’ve done anything like this so it wasn’t plain sailing all the way, but we’ve learnt as we’ve gone along the end result will be worth it as energy bills will plummet.
Materials used include a range of insulation like Spacetherm and Nanogel, LED lighting, micro-combined heat and power (CHP) boilers, triple glazing and solar panels.
The micro-CHP boilers will be controlled by an intelligent device which learns the tenant’s occupancy patterns and comfort preferences to suit different lifestyles; they were also left with a range of highly energy efficient kitchen appliances.
The modifications were carried out by Crawley Council’s contractors, Wates, with the support of project partners Keegans and ECD Architects.
The project is part of a big experiment to see what materials could be used in social housing that will help the UK meet future C02 reduction targets. The outcome could help lead to a greener future for Crawley residents and the rest of the UK.
To do this the homes will be monitored for energy use, temperature and humidity levels by the Energy Saving Trust for comparison with the other pilot projects across the country on a publicly accessible database. For more information on this visit their website .
The Energy Saving Trust website also has useful tips for you on saving energy in the home.
The links below show details of the properties, materials chosen and comparison of energy use before and after the project. Each property also has a blog from the architects that gives information on the work carried out.
St Joan Close
Hastings Close
The Birches
Warnham Road
Amy, a full-time mum of three who lives with her husband Mark in Hastings Road, Pound Hill, is absolutely delighted with the results.
She said: “It’s amazing; it’s like being on Extreme Makeover. So much has been done it feels like a brand new home, although it still feels like home to us. Before it was terrible; we had mould, damp and it was draughty. Whenever the kids got ill it went to their chest. I think this is going to make a really big difference. It’s been warm lately but the temperature has always been perfect in here.”
Son Tommy was also over the moon, adding: “I thought it was really nice, it feels really cosy.”
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