Penwith Housing Association has been awarded a £150,000 contract by the Technology Strategy Board under the government’s ‘Retrofit for the future’ programme to create one of the UK’s first super-low carbon existing social housing homes.
The Association is already a leader in UK social housing in the field of retrofitting existing homes, and this project will carry this work forward to demonstrate how existing homes can achieve an 80% reduction in carbon emissions. Another very important outcome will be much improved living conditions and greatly reduced energy costs in the retrofitted home.
There are two key components to the project. The first of these provides a package of super-insulating measures to the house to reduce energy losses to a minimum. The second is the ‘HeatPod’ – a highly innovative concept for existing homes which is built around a prefabricated multi-purpose glazed conservatory. It provides additional living space to the home, with room for green features such as cycle storage and under cover drying. But in addition to this it contains much of the equipment required for reducing the carbon emissions of the dwelling. This includes a new development of ground source heat pump technology, which brings together several sources of renewable energy. This avoids the need for much disruptive work inside the home. The ‘HeatPod’ can be rapidly installed and ‘plugged in’ to ‘decarbonise’ the home. The design has been developed by the Association in partnership with the heat pump expert John Parker who, in conjunction with E.ON developed the first ground source heat pumps specifically for the social housing market. Preparatory work on the project is now under way with the aim of completing the retrofit work to the home in the early summer of this year.
Mr Peter Ede, Penwith Housing Association Board Member and Chair of the Association’s Environmental Working Party said “Winning this contract will enable us to set new standards in enhanced home comfort conditions and very low running costs – benefits which we hope to bring to all of our customers when the government’s climate change policies take effect.
Mr Denys Stephens, the Association’s Sustainability Manager said “I am delighted to have the opportunity to create a super low carbon existing home. This project will help to define the kind of retrofit which all homes in the UK need to face the end of the fossil fuel era and to hold climate change at a manageable level”.
John Parker commented “This is a great step forward for energy efficient homes. Ten years of practical experience of ground source heat pumps underpin this innovative design which will set new standards for carbon reduction in homes."
Penwith Housing Association is a member of the Devon & Cornwall Housing Group and manages 6,000 homes throughout Cornwall.
