Award Winning Eco-Home Opens Its Doors

Tuesday 20th April 2010

An award winning eco-home on a South Tyneside estate has opened its doors to the public to showcase the future of home heating in the Borough.

'The Showhouse' has been fitted with the two renewable heating systems that South Tyneside Homes are installing as part of one of the largest combined renewable energy schemes in the country.

The house on the Lukes Lane Estate in Hebburn has been fitted with an air sourced heat pump and a solar water heating system. The installation of these two systems could reduce energy bills by up to 30%.

The air-sourced heat pump draws heat from the outside air before raising it to a higher temperature and distributing the heat around the radiators. The system is powered by electricity making the need for gas heating redundant. This will help drive down gas bills and reduce harmful CO2 emissions. It will also help lower household maintenance, as there will no longer be any need for gas inspections.

The solar water heating system uses solar panels fitted to the roof to collect heat from the sun. This is used to warm water which is stored in the hot water cylinder. A conventional boiler or immersion heater is then used to make the water hotter or to provide hot water when solar energy is unavailable. The system can provide about one-third of hot water needs.

South Tyneside Homes Chief Executive, Isobel Riley, and Councillor Jim Sewell, South Tyneside Homes Board member, officially opened the house.

Isobel Riley said: "Opening the eco-home has been one of the proudest moments of my career. It is a great way for South Tyneside Homes to demonstrate our commitment to improving the environment in which we work, as well as helping our tenants to heat their homes in a more cost effective way."

Councillor Jim Sewell added: "For as long as I can remember the tenants on the Lukes Lane Estate have been forward thinking and looking to the future. So I think it is very fitting that the first home to benefit from the installation of these renewable technologies is on this estate."

Around 60 homes are in line to benefit from the renewable energy scheme. Additional energy saving improvement works will also be made to these homes. These improvements include single to double-glazing window upgrades and improvements to cavity wall and loft insulations. The additional improvements combined with the renewable heating systems could help reduce CO2 emissions from these homes by up to 3 tonnes.

Fuel poverty charity National Energy Action (NEA) recently recognised the scheme as being the Best Project in the North East Region. Members from South Tyneside Homes Development Team will go to the House of Lords on Tuesday (9th March) to collect the award from Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

Maria Wardrobe, Communications Director for NEA, said: "We would like to congratulate South Tyneside Homes on winning the regional award. The project is a great example of how the problems of fuel poverty and climate change can be tackled at the same time."

South Tyneside Homes are working closely with a number of partners to carry out the work. Warmer Heating and Rothwell are installing the renewable heating systems, which are manufactured by Daikin. They have also worked with: Energy Saving Trust; National Energy Action; environmental consultants SEQM; specialists such as NaREC; and government funded community based organisations such as Community Energy Solutions.

Graham Lishman, Sales Engineer for Daikin, said: "This is largest project to date that Daikin has been part of in the North East. We were extremely pleased to be chosen as the manufacturer and we are confident that the partnership between ourselves and South Tyneside Homes can continue to be successful."

Bryan Glendinning, Commercial Director for Warmer Heating, added: "The installation of these systems is a huge opportunity to promote the great work that is being done in the North East around renewable energy."

The Showhouse is being used as a respite facility for tenants while contractors install the heat pumps and the solar heating system in their homes. Once the scheme has been completed the house will be available for let.

Caption: Isobel Riley and Cllr Jim Sewell at the opening of the Eco Showhouse

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