No power bills here, dear

A property developer has launched an energy self sufficient block of flats in London. Yorklake Homes said the four flats generate all their own energy from non fossil fuels within the site boundaries.

Designed by Bill Dunster’s architecture firm, the main source of energy is a Swift silent wind turbine, one of the first domestically available near-silent wind turbines, it generates power at mains voltage. It was commissioned by Renewable Devices and supplied by Scottish and Southern Energy plc. When combined with solar panels it enables the development to generate as much electricity as it consumes.

However the building still uses mains water. Yorklake says it is is planning rainwater harvesting but it also has a backup connection to the grid in case of usage peaks that use up the power storage.

The building was designed by leading eco-architects BeDZED. Each flat has its own terrace as well as a conservatory, which provides extra living space and acts as a miniature power station, meeting around half of the projected annual electricity demand.

BedZED–eco-footprint in the suburbs: Dennis Hardy visits the BedZED housing scheme in Hackbridge, Sutton: An article from: Town and Country PlanningClick to buy the book from Amazon.

The four energy-saving flats at 56 Tomlins Grove, E3 are fitted with the following features:.

* Solar panels.

* Hot water boiler powered by wood pellets.

* Triple-glazed and krypton-filled windows for thermal and noise insulation.

* Exceptionally insulated exterior walls, with a 300mm cavity filled with rock wool.

* Ceilings and floors made from concrete slabs, which act like super large storage heaters, storing heat in winter and coolness in summer.

* Wind cowls on the roof providing high levels of ventilation and heat reclamation.
James Kafton, manging director of developer Yorklake Homes, which built 56 Tomlins Grove, said: ‘It really is quite an achievement to develop a site in Central London that is able to satisfy its own energy needs.

Tags: off-the-grid