|
|
11 June 2008
Expert to help cut heating bills to £100 per year in new eco-town
An expert at the University of Sheffield has advised that prospective residents of a new eco-town in South Warwickshire could pay less than £100 per year in domestic heating bills. | Ian Ward, one of the co directors of SABRE - a joint venture between the University of Sheffield and the Building Research Establishment – has been appointed to advise the specialist team working on building designs for the proposed Middle Quinton eco-town near Long Marston.
With domestic heating bills running at an average of £1100 per year and set to rise further with sharply rising costs for oil and gas, 'green' homes will be cheaper to run as well as less damaging to the environment in terms of lower fossil fuel use and substantially reduced Co2 emissions.
One of the UK's foremost authorities on energy conservation in sustainable building, Mr Ward will be advising the developers of the proposed eco-town on detailed aspects of building design and materials use for maximum energy efficiency. The aim of the design work will be to achieve the highest Code Level 6 sustainable standard, which equates to the zero-carbon rating required by the Government for eco-town development.
Mr Ward, who is Director of the Building Energy Analysis Unit in the University's School of Architecture, points to existing low-energy housing schemes in the UK where annual heating bills of £100 or less are being achieved for specially designed eco-homes.
He said: "Depending on the materials used and heating system selected, it is perfectly realistic to dramatically reduce the amount of energy needed to heat homes and offices. I would go as far as saying that it will be possible to heat a family home for even less than £100 per year, perhaps as low as £50 in the very best circumstances."
John Dodds, regional director for St Modwen, the joint promoter of the Middle Quinton scheme, added: "Ian is a leading figure at the cutting edge of energy-efficient building and his expertise will add enormously to our specialist team´s capability in designing homes and buildings."
| |
|
|
|
|
