Tenants moving into the Windsor Fairfield development, near Guildford, might well be spared the rocketing electricity bills that have hit the UK recently. Twenty family eco-homes have been developed by Windsor Housing for affordable rent on a site that used to contain an underused homeless shelter, following the huge success of Guildford Borough Council’s prevention of homelessness programme.
The houses built in the Spinney make use of photovoltaic cells on the roof which convert sunlight directly into electricity to power the homes, with the tenants able to sell surplus energy back to the national grid.
Tenants moving into the Windsor Fairfield development, near Guildford, might well be spared the rocketing electricity bills that have hit the UK recently. Twenty family eco-homes have been developed by Windsor Housing for affordable rent on a site that used to contain an underused homeless shelter, following the huge success of Guildford Borough Council’s prevention of homelessness programme.
The houses built in the Spinney make use of photovoltaic cells on the roof which convert sunlight directly into electricity to power the homes, with the tenants able to sell surplus energy back to the national grid. They were built using a Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS) system, manufactured off-site and then craned into place, saving time and money.
The development was officially opened by the Mayor of Guildford, Councillor Jennifer Jordan, who was impressed by the quality and high standard of the homes, as well as the use of ground-breaking technology. A proud Peter Coleman, Chair at Windsor Housing, added “In today’s economic climate, with escalating fuel costs, we have to offer efficiency and innovation to ensure that our homes are affordable to rent and affordable to live in, and to deliver sustainable homes for our future communities.”
Windsor, as with all members of the Radian Group, is committed to reducing its environmental impact and was determined to achieve the Building Research Establishment’s Eco-Homes Excellent rating for this development. They were duly awarded this distinction and even obtained a grant from the Energy Savings trust.
Mr and Mrs Edwards and their two teenage children were one of the first residents to move into The Spinney when it opened in December 2007. “We’ve very happily settled into our home and wouldn’t ever want to move! The best thing about living here is the warmth. We have our own water meter, and the garden has special pipes connected to enable rainwater to be collected which we obviously use a lot for the plants and vegetables we grow ourselves. I personally love the house.