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Eco Homes Report - Nov 2006

PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

The purpose of this report is to review the ‘Eco Homes’ scheme developed at New Lane, Havant, by Hermitage Housing Association. The report will examine in detail the learning points and best practice which can be applied when developing new social housing in the future.

This development received an excellent EcoHomes rating assessment, which was a difficult standard to achieve in 2003. Since then the Housing Corporation has raised its requirements and all new social housing developments need to achieve a very good rating for Social Housing Grant Funding purposes.

This report will review the pilot scheme at New Lane to ensure that the building’s structure and internal specification items that could potentially be included within future schemes to ensure they meet the ratings requirements, and secure Social Housing Grant funding.

The report covers:

Scheme brief
Unit details
Build timetable and final account
Sustainable design features
Review of sustainable design features
Conclusions and recommendations

SCHEME BRIEF

The concept of a sustainable social housing development utilising ‘green’ building technologies and innovations, was initially proposed by Havant Borough Council who produced a briefing document for a pilot project to be developed in Havant.

The brief

To develop a model of current best practice this included consideration of:

Minimal environmental impact during construction
Operation of the homes
Increased energy efficiency
Flexibility in use during the ‘lifetime’ of the home
Practical application of ‘green’ building technology available
Cost efficiency over long-term (running costs and maintenance)
Management implications - lettings, monitoring and maintenance

Hermitage Housing Association undertook the challenge of designing and constructing the pilot project, which it hoped would influence and improve the sustainability of its housing stock and the local communities in which it operates. The project was an opportunity to examine both cash saving benefits to Hermitage residents and long-term maintenance costs/savings for the lifetime of the sustainable homes.

The main stakeholder in the project was Havant Borough Council and Hermitage Housing worked closely with officers of the Council during the design and construction of the homes.

Southampton University was also a principle stakeholder, in respect of the photo voltaic cells installed on the roof. They assisted in designing the system and securing grant funding for the cells and have been responsible for post installation monitoring of the PV cells energy generation and resident’s actual energy consumption within their home.

This proved a difficult and challenging project particularly in moving it from a feasibility study to a real project. The concept was drawn up by Mark Summerskill working with PLC Architects of Portsmouth, but the production of the construction drawings and construction administration was provided by Parnell Design Partnership of Havant.

UNIT DETAILS

The scheme comprises of:

Seven, three bedroom houses
Two, two bedroom bungalows
Two, two bedroom apartments

One bungalow was adapted as a disabled unit, without the sustainable items included. This enabled comparisons to be made between one resident’s energy consumption and fuel bills to another as it was required.

The scheme was developed on a brownfield site, which was a former Havant Borough Council owned car park, and it was selected because it was a sustainable location close to employment opportunities, had good public transport links, close to Havant town centre and leisure facilities.

Street names

1 – 4 Kyoto Terrace, Havant, PO9 2DE
2 – 10 Kyoto Walk, Havant, PO9 2FB
Apartments 1 & 2, 63a New Lane, Havant, PO9 2DF

BUILD TIMETABLE AND FINAL ACCOUNT

Contract period: 37 weeks commencing 24 February 2003

Actual period: 42 weeks

Final account: The final account was £3,000 over budget. This reflected minor changes to the works contract because of the innovative nature of this scheme and widespread interest it generated, which resulted in some additional items being included during the construction phase.

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN FEATURES

The following sub-sections consider the different types of sustainable design features included within the properties.

Building structure

· Aggregates

Small amount were re-used from clearance of existing site during construction.

· Timber

Sourced from sustainable managed forests with certification. This was used for the window frames, skirting boards, and architraves.

· Timber frame construction

The units were built using timber frame construction which was pre-fabricated off site to reduce waste and to use materials efficiently.

· Bricks

Sourced from a local manufacturer to reduce transport costs.

· Insulation

Expanded polystyrene was used in the roof space and under the concrete ground floors and recycled newspaper was used in the walls.

Heating and electricity

· Photo voltaic cells

Installed on the roofs to generate free

electricity from a solar source.

· Solar water heating tubes

To pre-heat hot water for domestic use.

· Under floor heating (ground floor only)

Keeps rooms cool in summer and provides more efficient heating in winter.

· Condensing boiler

High efficiency, low emission balanced flue system for hot water and heating.

· Passive stack ventilation

Installed in kitchen, bathroom and downstairs WC. This draws on warm air in sun room and is dispersed throughout the property.

Internal features

· Water based low solvent paints

Used in decoration throughout property.

· Sun rooms (south facing)

Designed to conserve heat and provide temperature control in property. One unit had very high specification double glazing installed in the sun room too.

· Low energy lightbulbs

Installed throughout property.

· Water conservation

Mixer showers installed above baths, spray taps in kitchen, bathroom and WC and dual flush toilets.

· Internal recycling space

Space provided in kitchen for internal recycling bin.

External features

Bio diversity assessment

Undertaken for communal planted areas, included for the provision of an owl box for example.

· Rainwater butts

Provided for use in the garden.

· Composting bins

For domestic household waste.

· Rainwater harvesting

3500litre tank in one rear garden, with water collected off three roofs to be used for flushing toilets, washing machine, in garden but NOT drinking water.

REVIEW OF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN FEATURES

Appendix one reviews all the above sustainable items and features and examines them in terms of:

Cost implications
What were the financial implications upon final scheme costs in respect of the sustainable items and features included in the project?
How did these costs compare to less sustainable products which the Association would normally have used on a similar scheme?
Practical application on site
How easy were the sustainable items and products to construct on site?
Was a specialist installation required?
Were there any positive impacts upon the length of build programme which could be replicated on other sites?
Benefits to residents
What financial benefits have been achieved for residents in respect of their water, electricity and gas bills?
What incentives have been provided to enable the residents to live a more sustainable lifestyle within their homes?
Are any of the items more costly for residents to utilise?
Outcome
How successful were the sustainable items and features in terms of the Association being able to replicate them on other sites?
Can any of the items and features used in the scheme assist the Association in achieving required funding standards set by the Housing Corporation?
Have any problems been identified by the Association or residents in respect of individual items and features included in the scheme?

CONCLUSIONS

The method of timber frame construction, utilising good quality sustainably resourced timber was successful, particularly in the time saved during the construction period in comparison to traditional build schemes.

The installation of the PV cells was problematic, because the installers were not sub-contracted to the main contractor and although all parties tried to accommodate each other, delays were experienced on site.

The rainwater harvesting tank was unsuccessful due to the small scale of the project, but the principle is positive and this system could be replicated on much larger schemes in future. On a small scale items such as the rainwater butts and composting bins are much more successful and can be easily incorporated into new schemes.

Several items are very much commonplace within the new homes built by Hermitage Housing since the completion of the EcoHomes scheme, for example spray taps, mixer showers, dual flush toilets and low energy lightbulbs. These smaller items help to achieve the necessary ‘EcoHomes’ rating required for Housing Corporation funding purposes, plus larger items such as sustainable resourced timber for actual construction which is now no more expensive than non sustainable timber.

The resource implications for the property investment team are being considered at present, both across the short to medium and medium to long-term. Hermitage Housing needs to understand the financial impacts of developing this type of ‘Eco Homes’ project to inform a view regarding any sustainable features to be included in future schemes it develops. Eco Homes at Kyoto Walk/Terrace

The PV cells are still being monitored in respect of the free electricity produced and the resident’s lifestyle habits in terms of their actual energy consumption. The University and Hermitage Housing has contacted residents to offer practical advice as necessary to improve the cash saving benefits available to them, for example upgrading electrical appliances from ‘G’ to a ‘A’ rated models to reduce long term running costs.

Monitoring has revealed that initially residents were not utilising the free electricity produced on sunny days, because habitually they were using appliances which consume large amounts of electricity (e.g. washing machines and dishwashers) either at breakfast time or in the evening. Residents needed educating to either change their habits or use timers, to take advantage of the free electricity to reduce bills.

When first let, the residents signed up to an energy supplier who paid them for the free electricity they produced but did not use and which is exported back into the national grid. However, due to recent increases in fuel prices, that supplier’s standard tariff increased to the point that it negated any financial benefits to the residents and most have now switched to other suppliers who are not paying them for any exported electricity.

In view of the specialist nature of this project a special arrangement was made between Havant Borough Council and the Association whereby half the units were let to people with an interest in ‘green’ technologies and the ‘Eco Homes’ ethos and half to people on the general waiting list. The residents were therefore identified early and kept informed of progress on site. As a result all but one of the units was let immediately upon completion, minimising void loss. The one unit which took some time to let was a disabled adaptation and a slightly more complicated move.

The majority of defects reported by residents related to the complicated heating system and resolving some initial teething problems. This highlighted the importance of ensuring that Health & Safety Manuals provided at handover by the contractor are copied to all relevant teams within the Association, particularly where specialist items have been installed in new homes.

CONTACT

Surinder Heer

Head of development

Hermitage Housing Association

sheer@hermitage-housing.co.uk