E.ON and Barratt partnership delivers eco-homes to East London
Elaine Brass
4th August 2009
A partnership between E.ON and Barratt means 550 residents of East London have been given the opportunity to live in homes officially rated a Level Three, in the Code for Sustainable Homes.
Residents are now moving into the Dalston Square development in Hackney, which is
a mixture of both private residential and social housing and is powered by an on-site 'decentralised' energy centre, which by-passes the National Grid.
Supplied through
Hackney Borough Council, the homes have been built using sustainable
building materials rated "excellent" under the Code for Sustainable Homes, which measures the sustainability of new homes.
Ecological enhancements include green roofs, landscaped communal gardens and planting of mature trees.
The development, which incorporates a new public library and archive, new shops and restaurants –
all placed around the largest public square built in over a century – is powered by
gas-fired Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units, along with biomass
boilers and gas-fired back up boilers. These provide five megawatts of heating and hot
water and 185 kilowatts of power, which could reduce carbon emissions by up to
25 per cent and cut heating and hot water bills by up to 23 per cent.
Each home and business in the square is equipped with a heat meter to
measure the amount of heat delivered rather than the amount of gas
used. Equipped with smart technology, the meters are read remotely and
residents will receive a monthly bill in the normal way.
Residents will
receive electricity via the National Grid, however the library and
retail units will receive electricity generated in the energy centre
through the CHP units.
Don Leiper, managing director of E.ON Energy Services, said: "The development at Dalston Square is a wonderful example of how advances in technology and partnered expertise can have clear environmental and financial benefits for residents. Decentralised energy centres, which generate community based, low carbon energy from more sustainable sources, look set to play a major part in helping the UK keep energy prices affordable, carbon emissions down and the country's lights on. We remain committed to changing the way people use and view energy and are working hard to continue to reduce the carbon footprint and energy costs of homes and businesses across the UK in all kinds of ways."
The entire regeneration project will also include a new station and bus interchange and will be completed by 2012.