Wood Pellet Boiler
Tree Planting Ceremony
Eco-friendly Homes
Eco-friendly Homes
Contract Value:
£245,000
Client:
Orwell Housing Asso.
Timescale:
Apr 07 - Aug 08
Vital Energi completes ground breaking sustainable housing scheme.
Vital Energi has made a significant contribution to the sustainability of an eco-friendly residential development in Suffolk with the design and installation of a 100% renewable energy system for Orwell Housing Association.
"We are very proud of this new development at Elmswell, not only because of it’s sustainable and energy saving features but because it fulfils our major aim of creating affordable homes which are attractive and good to live in and which add value to the local community."
Stephen Javes, Chief Executive of Orwell Housing Association
The scheme is attracting much interest and acclaim. In 2007 it was awarded a Housing Design Award by RIBA and has recently been shortlisted for Inside Housing’s Sustainable Housing Award 2008.
Known locally as “Clay Fields”, this exemplar development comprises 26 high quality affordable homes for local people. The development achieved its “low carbon” status through combining contemporary design and sustainable construction with low energy use and innovative local material including Vital Energi’s biomass community heating scheme.
Vital Energi designed the system from a blank sheet of paper, helping the client at all stages to make the right choices for their own particular scheme requirements. Heating and hot water for the whole community is provided by Vital Energi’s centralised energy centre which includes a 150kW wood fuelled boiler fed with locally produced wood pellets, from which the hot water is distributed around the site through buried pre-insulated heating pipework to each dwelling.
Control over flow rate, temperature, pressure and individual dwelling consumption is performed by Vital Energi’s class leading Vital Aqua Varm Hydraulic Interface Units ™ (HIU’s). These units incorporate a sophisticated fixed network metering system utilising satellite technology to gather and store energy consumption data every half hour. Vital Energi has supplied its own patented billing software system VBill ™ making billing and tenant management more simple and user friendly.
Conclusion
Other sustainable measures on this exemplar scheme, together with the biomass heating system, will reduce carbon emissions at Clay Fields by around 60%, compared to standard regulations-compliant buildings.
This development demonstrates how cutting edge design, with the backing of a forward thinking Client like Orwell, can be complimented by the use of the latest innovative techniques to produce high quality, low carbon housing. Vital Energi are now looking forward to working alongside more of clients on similar ventures.
