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The project by Central Borders Housing Group on behalf of South Staffordshire Housing Association aims to compare the green credentials of a brand new house against that of a refurbished house.

Building work on the homes has just started in Clay Street, Penkridge as Sue Rowley, Managing Director of South Staffordshire Housing Association explains:
"The aim of the project is to see whether you can really make a refurbished house as green and efficient as a new build. We will be measuring energy ratings, performance and fuel bills to see whether in the future we can provide our customers with eco-homes that are super-efficient to run."

Ursula Bennion, group development director for CBHG added:
"Our eco-homes have been designed to very high standards and to fit in with existing Penkridge buildings. What we learn will help us consider how we can cut emissions and fuel poverty in the future."

Town crier, Bevan Craddock announcing the project said:
"I very much welcome this project in Penkridge.  It is a big step in the right direction which should lead towards lower running costs in our homes and a more sustainable form of living.  Over 30 years ago, my father was researching Heat Pumps for home heating when they were in their pioneering stage – I am very pleased that the Housing Association is now leading the way in Penkridge with this new technology."

The new eco-project, which has been part funded by South Staffordshire Council, has also been welcomed by Council bosses Councillor David Billson, (Deputy Leader) Strategic Services at the Council commented:
"This is a brand new project which could really pave the way for greener and more sustainable development across the District in the future. Projects like this are helping to provide much needed affordable homes for local people, whilst the new eco-measures could really help bring down fuel bills. We'll be very excited to see the results of this innovative experiment".

The building work, which will meet Sustainable Homes Code Level 4, is being carried out by Kaneal Construction of Stafford, while CBHG's Staffordshire Property Care team will carry out the refurbishment of the existing house.

About the houses
The aim for the new build is for it to look like a normal house from the outside while containing as many energy efficient technologies as possible. What makes this task even harder is that the development is within a conservation area and agreements have had to be reached with the local conservation officers, particularly in relation to brick and tile finishes.

The new build will be built to Sustainable Homes Code Level 4, incorporating a NIBE exhaust air heat recovery system. This will provide mechanical ventilation and water heating throughout the home and space heating via an under floor system. The hot water provision will be supplemented by solar panels on the south facing roof.

In addition to the air heat recovery system, the property will benefit from argon filled triple glazed windows and low energy lighting.

Built into the design of the property will be three 10 litre recycling bins as part of the kitchen units, a 200 litre water butt with lid and tap connected to the rainwater pipe with an automatic overflow into the soakaway, and a cycle store.

The plan is to install a smart home system to monitor emissions and also the efficiency of the fabric of the building. However, one of its most important roles will be to provide the occupier with information to help guide the way in which they use energy.

With a view to protecting the local environs, the development includes tree and hedge protection fencing, a bat box mounted onto the wall of the house and a bird box attached to a tree in the garden.

The retro-fit will, as far as is possible, follow the same specifications as the new build enabling running costs to be compared on a like-for-like basis. The skills developed by the Staffordshire Property Care team during this unique project will be applicable to most existing homes that would benefit from the retro-fitting of energy saving and environmentally sustainable improvements.