Introduction
Queens Road is a development of six three-bedroom terraced houses near Stourbridge Ring Road. The development was designed and built by the Black Country Housing Group to demonstrate how energy efficiency features and renewable energy technologies can be incorporated into residential developments and to take account of learning points from other developments. Special to this scheme is a clever layout which produces a south-west facing roof on a terrace that runs north-south!
What was involved?
The Queens Road development involved the Black Country Housing Group working with the architects and a construction team to design and build the houses which embodied energy saving principles, sourcing and procuring the materials over a period of three years. The development was part-funded by the Low Carbon Buildings Programme.
The development was formally opened at a launch event by the then Stourbridge MP Lynda Waltho in July 2008. The houses are occupied by tenants who pay a 50:50 combination of rent to the Black Country Housing Group and conventional mortgage.
Solar Thermal Panels
Solar thermal panels provide approximately half the houses hot water requirements in the summer and some hot water in the spring and autumn months. The solar thermal panels are located on the south west facing roofs to capture the most light from the suns rays. Solar thermal panels are a cost effective technology that consist of a network of pipes covered in an absorbent material mounted on a roof. As the water passes through the pipes it is heated and pumped to a tank until it is used.
Solar Photovoltaic Panels
The tenants benefit from free electricity during the daytime generated by solar photovoltaic panels located on the south west and south east facing roofs to capture the most light from the sun. Solar photovoltaic panels are a reliable technology that converts the light in the suns rays into electricity used to power appliances in the house.
The Black Country Housing Group has registered with the Feed in Tariff; a national scheme to improve the financial viability of renewable energy technologies and receives payments for every unit of electricity generated by the solar photovoltaic panels. These payments will be reinvested by the Black Country Housing Group into further activities for community benefit.
Wind Towers
Wind towers are an alternative to mechanical fans and ventilation. They replace warm stale air with fresh air from outside the building. Wind towers work by creating air flows through the buildings using the natural buoyancy of air. Wind towers are an energy efficient form of ventilation as controls are not required to control the fans.
Outcomes
Queens Road achieve the Eco-Homes Standard rating of Excellent. The occupiers benefit from free hot water and reduced heating bills compared to a conventional house. The Black Country Housing Group benefited from the addition of an energy efficient development to their portfolio of properties.
For further information
- Contact Richard Baines at the Black Country Housing Association on bainesr@bcha.co.uk or telephone 0121 561 1969
- Black Country Housing Association at www.bcha.co.uk.
