ECO DEVELOPMENT FOCUS


The development aims to show that sustainable homes are economically viable on the open market


been used throughout the development to give breathability and non-toxicity, kitchens are locally built with solid beech worktops and solid carcasses for longevity and a dedicated recycling drawer is in the units. Outside, communal areas are


maintained by a management company set up for the residents and allotments are available within a short walking distance with plots reserved for each house. Each house has a carport and a charging point for an electric car has been fitted should the residents wish to purchase a communal electric car to use instead of second (or primary) cars. The completed houses have


manufactured with compressed FSC wood fibres, as these use no additional or artificial resins. Externally, the finish is lime-based mineral render, except on the south-facing façades, which have heat-treated FSC softwood as cladding. Internally, wallboard was fixed on battens to give a 25mm services cavity and then taped and finished with a plaster skim. The insulation was completed with 175mm of recycled newspaper, which filled the timber frame panels. The roofs are of a similar


structure to the walls but with the addition of a variable water vapour membrane which is of two types: a single pitched roof on the two detached houses, porches & car-ports, which have a single-ply roofing membrane, and a double pitched roof on the terrace houses, which have clay tiles. Between the ground and first floors there are timber i-beams, which use less timber than solid beams and joists, and the voids are filled with sheeps wool insulation from Cumbria. The windows and doors of all


the houses are made with FSC certified timber and are triple glazed argon filled units. All the houses feature an open plan living area with large south-facing glazed French windows to give high levels of natural daylight and air circulation. Each house has one internal wall of high-density masonry as well as concrete slab floors with ceramic tiles to provide high thermal mass as part of the heating and cooling strategy.


BritishBuilder.co.uk | British Builder & Developer | 31 Trickle vents are fitted to the


windows and ventilation is supplemented by a mechanical system. In addition to the renewable energy systems of 2kWp PV, 3.5kW wood pellet boilers and 4m2


solar thermal


water panels for each house, the houses all feature low energy light fittings, energy efficient white goods, low flow taps, non- mains showers and shallow baths for water efficiency with 2500 litre underground rainwater storage tanks for washing machine and toilet use. Mineral and water based paints have


achieved Code level 5 rating in terms of their predicted performance and the use of wood pellet boilers has lead to an EPC rating of B for Energy and A for Environment. Much effort and time went into creating the airtight envelope and in terms of actual performance the four houses tested so far have reached significantly lower levels of air permeability than the current Building Regulations Part L pass rate of 10m3


/h/m2 .


SUCCESS & THE FUTURE: One of these houses has been part of an in-depth monitoring programme administered by the GHA, the Energy Saving Trust and Department for Communities and


Fact File


Developer: Pippin Properties Name: The Old Apple Store


Location: Stawell, Somerset Size: 1.5 acres/five homes


Lead contractor/ Architect: Ecos Homes Ltd Type: Residential Status: Completed; all sold


Average Selling Price: £300,000


Local Government. The evaluation of performance by Oxford Brookes University includes testing of the building fabric, physical monitoring for a year as well as post occupancy evaluation study. All of the houses have been sold, but two of them are not yet occupied as finishing touches are being made. The report about the house’s fabric tests is to be published in the near future. 


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Ecos Developments was set up in order to improve current public opinion on sustainable building


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