Member Article

Green living comes to Sheffield

Some of the greenest houses in Britain have been built by Sheffield Housing Company to provide home buyers with the very best cost benefits of eco living.

The carbon neutral homes are among only 247 code 6 properties so far built in the UK – according to the latest figures published by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Now complete and ready for sale at the Brearley Forge site in the Parson Cross area of the city the four bedroomed homes meet the highest standard of eco-building currently recognised by the government and one which sets the benchmark for best practice in sustainable housing design and construction.

They benefit from extremely high levels of insulation, a mechanical ventilation heat recovery system which re-circulates air from the warmer areas of the home and solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in order to reduce the running costs of the properties.

The panels can generate enough electricity to run the homes – and even provide a surplus to go back to the national grid. For example a code 6 home with class A or A plus white goods (fridge, freezer, washing machine etc.) could attract a feed in tariff (FIT) of over £2,000.

Sheffield Housing Company is a partnership comprising the city council, regeneration specialist Keepmoat – which is building the properties - and Great Places Housing Group, which will own and rent around 10% of them.

A third code six home, taken on by Great Places, will be the subject of extensive monitoring in order to shed new light on eco building techniques and costs, informing the future direction of home construction.

Tom Fenton, Project Director with the Sheffield Housing Company, said: “This is not a gimmick to build the most energy efficient homes. It is about finding the most cost effective way to deliver homes to code levels four, five and six that people on average incomes can afford to buy.

“There are a variety of ways to achieve the standards and we are looking for the most cost effective solutions. This is an interesting experiment which we hope will shed new light on eco building techniques and costs, informing the future direction of home construction.

“However, for the lucky buyers of the two homes at Brearley Forge, which I believe are the only code 6 homes for sale in the city, the direct benefits will be much lower household bills and potentially free heating and lighting.”

Over the next 15 years Sheffield Housing Company plans to build up to 2,300 homes across the city. All will reach the Lifetime Homes standard, making adaptations easier to allow people to remain living independently for as long as possible.

In addition, 15% of the homes will be completed to Mobility Standards and 10% will be fully wheelchair accessible. With an emphasis on quality, space and value, no other builder in the area is constructing homes to such exacting standards.

Brearley Forge, named after the inventor of Stainless Steel, Harry Brearley, is the largest Sheffield Housing Company development to date. The first phase of 142 properties is now well under construction, as are 116 more at Cutler’s View, Norfolk Park. Works has also begun in Shirefcliffe where 47 homes will be developed on small infill sites.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Dobbie .