Residents enjoyed an open day to celebrate their lower electricity bills at Eric Long Court in Swindon, thanks to the installation of a biomass boiler system.
Investing £392,000 into the Retirement Living scheme, Housing 21 opted for a biomass boiler as a non-fossil fuel option. The roof was also replaced with large solar PV panels installed, reducing the electricity bill for the scheme by 60 percent so far this year.
The residents have moved from a fossil fuel-based heating system to a sustainable fuel source that is grown in the UK. The site has one electricity meter and solar PV has significantly reduced the amount of electricity purchased from the grid.
Dean Doerr, Property Improvement Manager at Housing 21 said: “The work carried out at Eric Long Court is a step in the right direction for Housing 21 and the residents. Using renewable energy and saving the residents money on their bills is something that we strive towards.
“Typically, with low carbon technologies the residents need to change how they use the heating or learn new controls, which involves work carried out within their flats increasing the level of disruption.
“These measures have provided an improvement without subjecting residents to intrusive work and complicated controls; residents can use the electricity and heating in the same way as they always have.”
As part of ongoing efforts to make Eric Long Court more environmentally friendly, residents have also been transforming the shared gardens into a thriving, sustainable space. Since moving in, Mike, a resident at the scheme, has led the way in encouraging wildlife back into the gardens by avoiding chemical treatments, planting native species and installing water butts to reduce reliance on mains water for irrigation.
Mike said, “it’s been amazing to see how much the gardens have come to life. We’re seeing more species of birds visiting, and the soil is full of worms now – when I first started, there were hardly any, which is a sign of a poor garden. Residents love coming out with their families to enjoy the space, and it’s great knowing that we’re doing our small bit to be more environmentally friendly.”
Housing 21 worked with contractors M&J Construction and Jonstar Energy for the roof and solar panels. Nazeing Heating installed Windhager boilers, working closely with on the design and installation. Beards created the fuel store and carried out the required building work for the project.
