The Green House Project
As part of our commitment to tackling climate change and encouraging residents to be energy efficient, the council has purchased two properties, one in St Ives and the other in St Neots, and will be turning them into ‘green’ show homes.
The two homes will be fitted out with practical, cost effective technologies, which will demonstrate how to reduce CO2 emissions, make improvements to the insulation, improve fuel efficiency, save money on heating bills and increase the value of the home.
A team of council officers will be looking at incorporating solar power, ground and/or air source heat pumps along with water efficiency measures such as rainwater recycling.
Once complete local people, landlords, schools and businesses will be invited to visit the homes to see how they may be able to introduce energy efficiency, renewable energy and water saving measures into their own homes, helping them to contribute towards reducing emissions within the district. This will not only help the environment but will also save them money in the long term.
The properties were selected because they are typical of a large proportion of houses in the district.
The work is expected to be completed by late summer 2010 and the houses will be open to the public later in the year.
The houses have been tested on their current efficiencies so that comparisons can be made after the work is complete.
To maximise the impact of the project and to incorporate best practice the council is working with The Building Research Establishment, who already have extensive expertise and knowledge in this area.
At the end of the project the homes will be sold.
To find out more visit the project website using the link on the right.