Housing accounts for 25% of all UK fuel consumption, using our dwindling stocks of fossil fuels and producing dangerous amounts of pollution such as carbon dioxide, the gas blamed for global climate change. To help solve these major problems, Black Country Housing implemented a strategy to reduce the amount of energy we need, get as much energy as possible out of the fuel we use and use alternative sources of energy, such as solar energy.
The easiest way to reduce energy use is to insulate the house against heat loss. The houses built by BCH, such as those at Bryce Road, Dudley, boosted insulation levels with 300 mm of insulation material in roofs, 170 mm in walls and 100 mm under the floors and special windows with panes of heat-reflecting glass, separated by insulating spacers and gas with better insulating properties than air.
The hot water pipes and cylinders are well insulated and draughts are eliminated. We can no longer afford to throw away heat by opening windows for fresh air, so such an airtight building needs managed ventilation. We use ventilation that uses warm exhaust air to heat incoming clean air to great effect.
Together, these measures are known as "super-insulation" and the net effect has been an annual heating bill of just £35 for a mid-terrace three-bedroom house.
These energy savings are remarkable, but more can be done to reduce environmental impact.
The average domestic boiler in the UK is only about 70% efficient, meaning that for every £100 pounds of fuel that goes in, only £70 gets turned into heat. The typical UK power station is only 30% efficient and what is lost through these inefficiencies goes up the chimney and cooling tower as pollution. We use combined heat and power systems at Bryce Road and the Vantage Point, BCH's landmark apartment block for elderly residents in West Bromwich, which are up to 98% efficient at converting gas into heat and electricity.
Avoiding the use of fuel as a source for our energy eliminates the problems altogether. By using solar water heaters at Bryce Road and Norwood Road, an innovative refurbishment scheme in Dudley, BCH has halved the bills for hot water.
In its Eco-Pod sustainable construction demonstration and training centre in Dudley, BCH demonstrates the use of ground source heat pumps that extract heat from the ground and put it in the houses. Solar panels and a windmill are also on show.
Water efficiency
There are also environmental problems with using water in our homes. Although the UK still gets as much rain as ever – on average about 40 inches (1000 mm) a year – global climate change means that the rain comes in shorter, sharper bursts. This concentration is too great for the land to absorb and much of the water runs off to rivers, causing unprecedented flooding over the past 10 years.
The hard urban landscape makes the run-off and flooding problem worse. As a result of these problems, parts of the country are saturated and elsewhere we suffer drought. All of the water we buy for our houses is treated to a drinkable standard, yet we flush about a third of it down the toilet. At Bryce Road four alternatives are in trial:
- a system that cleans and stores bath water for toilet flushing;
- a rainwater harvesting system;
- a high-tech composting toilet;
- a traditional dry toilet.
Also on display are SureStop remote water-main stop taps. These can stop a leak at the press of a button by the kitchen sink. And special tank systems in the roads and drives act like sponges in a rainstorm, holding the water safely and releasing it slowly back into the land.
Choosing and using local suppliers
Genuine local supply – using local materials – can bring more than just environmental benefits. As well as reducing the impact of transporting materials over long distances, locally sourced products support the local economy and hence the community.
Several of our suppliers have developed their products and services with direct help and support from BCH.
As a specifier and buyer of building products, BCH is ideally placed to bring innovative business diversification to the local supply sector – what better way to contribute to regeneration and deliver genuine sustainability?
Value for money
Pragmatism has to be the watchword in social housing. Adding value to houses costs more money, so the rent for a better house is slightly higher than average. BCH tenants enjoy better houses and lower running costs that more than offset the slightly higher rent.
To avoid the obvious but unacceptable method of reducing rents by building cheaper and worse houses, BCH has undertaken a value engineering exercise in collaboration with the University of Central England and its Technology Innovation Centre at Millennium Point in Birmingham.
Working closely with project partner Renaissance Enlightened Building, a subsidiary of Walsall-based BANRO Holdings, we have developed an innovative off-site fabrication system that combines the benefits of volumetric or modular construction techniques with panellised construction.
Highly serviced areas such as kitchens, ground floor shower rooms, toilets and bathrooms are assembled, fitted out and finished in the factory. Modules have been used at the BCH's latest development at Elizabeth House in Stourbridge, where the second unit took only 15 minutes to install. Wall, ceiling/floor and roof panels are attached to the modules to complete the house shell. This means houses can be completed almost six weeks faster than the average 12-week build time for traditional methods.
Measuring success
In order to be sure that the actions are working, Black Country Housing employs environmental consultant E2S to assess economic, environmental and social impacts. E2S uses the EcoHomes Standard, standard assessment procedure energy ratings, dynamic thermal computer simulation tools, life-cycle inventory tools and advanced CAD modelling systems to predict design performance. They consult with tenants' representatives, the neighbours of new sites, local planning officers and contractors and suppliers to make sure that needs can be met, and when new buildings are completed they undertake detailed scientific monitoring of performance to audit the outcome.
Source
Housing Today
Postscript
Richard Baines is senior environmental consultant to the Black Country Housing & Community Services Group. Visit www.bcha.co.uk/bryce2.htm for more information on the Bryce Road project
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