Everyone is aware of the issues associated with global warming and the impact of using non-renewable energy (fossil fuels such as oil, coal, gas etc.) on the environment and on our bank balance. The cost of oil and gas are continuously rising, and as we are trying to provide affordable homes, we need to ensure that our tenants have energy bills that are also affordable.

What are we doing about it?

We are dedicated to building high quality affordable, eco-friendly homes. Our new build housing schemes are awarded a rating on an 'Ecohomes' scale, and recent developments completed have achieved a rating of 'Very Good' on the scheme.

Factors built into our new schemes to achieve this rating include:

• Sustainable materials such as timbers from re-planted forests.
• High levels of insulation and efficient boilers, reducing home energy consumption.
• Water butts to collect rainwater.
• Low energy light fittings.

Many planning approvals also require new housing schemes to provide at least 10% of the scheme energy needs through sustainable sources such as solar power, domestic wind turbines and ground heat pumps.

An Example

Three recently completed schemes have used Ground Source Heat Pumps to provide heating and hot water from natural heat stored by the earth.

This works by digging a vertical bore hole around 90 metres deep for each property and installing a pipe that extracts heat from the ground using an electrical pump. It uses the same principle as a fridge - only in reverse - an environmentally friendly anti-freeze solution passes through the coil, drawing the heat from the ground and releasing it in property using under-floor heating and radiators.

This system can be used to heat water and the property all year round, and can generate up to 75% of all energy requirements, meaning that energy bills are reduced dramatically. A Ground Source Heat Pump is three to four times more efficient than a gas or oil boiler. For every 1kW of electricity consumed by the heat pump, over 4kW of heating can be supplied to your home.

More Information

If you would like more information about Ground Source Heat Pumps, please visit the Ice Energy website. For more information on renewable energy and how we are addressing the issue, please contact: christine.turner@eshagroup.co.uk