New Lincolnshire homes use third of the energy of those built 30 years ago
A cluster of new homes near Lincoln will need just a third of the energy used by houses built in the 1980s, according to their developer.
Properties in Roman Fields, in Witham St Hughs, boast a raft of efficiency and water-saving features.
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Latest double glazing: Properties situated in Roman Fields, in Witham St Hughs, boast lots of efficiency and water-saving features
Construction firm Taylor Wimpey says new owners can therefore make "big savings" on utility bills while also being kinder to the environment.
Dozens of two, three and four-bedroom homes have been built off Juniper Way.
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They are part of a new wave of properties built by Taylor Wimpey in Lincolnshire that all have eco-friendly features.
Dominic Harman, managing director of Taylor Wimpey East Midlands, said: "All of our customers will find that it makes perfect economic sense to choose a brand new Taylor Wimpey home, thanks to the wide range of measures built in to every single one of our properties which help to reduce both energy and water consumption costs."
The new homes include high-efficiency boilers and central heating systems, low-energy lighting and appliances, as well as some of the latest double glazing and insulation.
Taylor Wimpey says the homes require around 20 per cent of the energy needed to heat a similar type of property from the 1930s, and around 30 per cent of the overall energy needs of equivalents from the 1980s.
Water-saving features include dual-flush toilets, which use two different levels of water, and flow-restricted taps and shower heads.
Roger Griffiths, technical director of Lincoln-based environmental consultancy Delta-Simons, said architects and developers were pushing the boundaries when it came to delivering energy-efficient homes.
He added this in turn was backed up by increasingly stringent building regulations and the Code for Sustainable Homes, plus the UK's commitment to reduce carbon emissions and limit global warming.
He said: "With a target of zero carbon new homes from 2016, this commitment towards energy efficiency is here to stay which is great for homeowners in a climate of ever increasing energy bills."
There are 112 homes being built at Roman Fields.
Work is ongoing and the first homes were completed in late 2011.
Taylor Wimpey's other developments in Lincolnshire are Isaac's Place, in Grantham, Pilgrims Chase, in Spalding, and Oak Springs, in Bourne.
The developer has also built houses across the East Midlands – all with measures designed to help people make savings on their gas and electricity bills while reducing their carbon footprints.
Properties are being built in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.
Taylor Wimpey UK, part of Taylor Wimpey plc, is one of the largest residential developers in the UK.
The company has 24 regional offices across England, Scotland and Wales and builds around 10,000 homes a year.
9 Comments
by jasonoldy
Sunday, February 17 2013, 6:50AM
“Not all these eco technologies are great.. the day we moved into our new home, the water harvester pump broke, and took 4 engineers to pull out of the ground. Along with that, our exhaust air heat pump boiler is costing double, if not triple, it's predicted cost. Search 'nibe boiler problems' and you'll see the tricks these builders and their contractors play to get green grant money.”
by IT_MAN
Wednesday, February 13 2013, 5:44PM
“nigelsparky: I just checked box of the low energy bulbs and a 15w it says is equal to 75w, I have a 20w panasonic one which should equal 100w but side by side in my garage the 100w tungsten gives out much more light, trouble with low energy is soft lighting, warmup time, degrade with age and if connected through those plug in energy consumption checkers they show to be using more than they claim. I look forward to LED but it has a long way to go and price will have to drop. The 1w LED bulbs are OK for display cabinets that have 25w spot bulbs and for bedside lights, would be good if child needs light on all night or old people, as good as 15w pigmy bulb.
I have had problems with eyes and I believe it is the low energy bulbs.”
by nigelsparky
Wednesday, February 13 2013, 2:15PM
“Pru it depends on what 50 watt recess lamps (bulbs) you mean. If they are standard GU10's then yes they will give you a much more light output than 1 x 100watt lamp, however they will collectively use more energy than a the standard 1 x 100watt lamp, 6 x 50 = 300 watts.
The lifespan of any lamp can be accelerated by a light fittings pins being worn, creating a poor connection to the lamp itself. Also like anything these days, you get what you pay for, so the cheaper the make of the GU10, generally means poorer quality, leading to a shorter lifespan.
Low energy lighting will provide you a saving during use for sure, although a standard low energy lamp, appearance wise, can look odd in most ornate light fittings, and they do need to "warm up". Basically the lower the wattage, the cheaper it will be to run. A 16watt low energy lamp is pretty much equivalent to a standard 100watt lamp in terms of light output, however, only using 16 % of power required, thus making a saving.”
by IT_MAN
Wednesday, February 13 2013, 4:31AM
“Pru_Freda: Can't answer your question but it made me think of some bulbs a mate got from Aldi, they are like a normal light bulb but with a Halogen capsule inside them instead of a filament, I think they used about 20% less than a normal bulb giving same output, my mate went back for more as he really liked them.”
by IT_MAN
Wednesday, February 13 2013, 4:24AM
“I recall reading somewhere a few months back about some new eco homes, they had electric heat pump boiler for central heating, the buyers were told energy bils would only be about £500 a year but they got a shock when energy bills were £2,000 a year. I take all these eco things with a pinch of salt. The best eco thing I have found is Inverter Heat Pump Air Con unit which is really cheap to run, has a COP of 4.4 which means for 1kW of electric it gives out up to 4.4 kW of heat or cooling, I was shocked at it's cheap running costs, would be fantastic in a studio flat especially if at work all day.”
by Pru_Freda
Tuesday, February 12 2013, 10:17PM
“Is low energy lighting a saving?
Do 6 or 8 50W recessed bulbs illuminate a room better and cheaper than a 100W incandescent bulb?
I have asked several electricians and can't get a straight answer, but know I don't
get anything like the extended life promised by a GU10.”
by nigelsparky
Tuesday, February 12 2013, 4:53PM
“"It's a start but have they considered rain harvesting (for loos, external water use such as garden/washing car and washing machine),
I could be wrong here, but Isn't that what Anglian water and all the other water companies do on a big scale?”
by nolies
Tuesday, February 12 2013, 1:16PM
“It sounds good when they compare it to a 1980's property,they might as well have compared it to a shed.Comparing it to a contemporary standard new build would be more enlightening as well as telling us the what the build cost difference is but I suspect that would not be as impressive a headline.”
by Localperson55
Tuesday, February 12 2013, 11:51AM
“It's a start but have they considered rain harvesting (for loos, external water use such as garden/washing car and washing machine), maximising solar gain by plot orientation and the amount of glass facing the most sun, super insulating the property, solar panels for hot water, and heat recovery? All these things have been available for several years but are not mentioned in this article.”