friendly housing complex keeps down bills
It's a light woody smell coming from
the timber clad homes which are facing the sun. The solar panels are also
soaking it up and along with a boiler that runs on recycled wood pellets, these
twenty one properties have all the energy they need.
Inside, the toilets
use rainwater and there are vents which take in a room's heat and re-distribute
it around the home.
But it's not just science which is apparently making
this social scheme work, it's the attitude of the people who live here too.
Their behaviour is even being monitored by Northumbria University. It's a living
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At one of the ground floor flats, Dot and Brian Wilson are
out gardening. They're the couple on the complex with the green fingers and were
chosen from five hundred applicants because of their environmental awareness.
"We've got some leeks, onions, cauliflower and we're going to get some
peppers and peas too" Dot explains. I asked her what it feels like to be part of
a grand experiment. She laughs with delight, "I've always wanted to live in an
eco-friendly home and I never thought I'd be able to do it. But I can and I am!
"Everybody's got something different to offer. Those that can garden, do
the gardening, and everybody else pitches in somewhere along the line".
Rio Adams is pitching in with the maintenance. She lives in one of the
houses and is sweeping the paths (wood chippings are environmentally friendly
but, apparently, they can cause a mess). Her two year old son Brody is over at
the "bug hotel".
It's a damp timber structure with sticks, leaves and
pipes to try and attract more insects. "The site used to be derelict" Rio
explains. "There were no birds around and we're hoping that if there are more
insects, it will encourage them back".
The sense of community is
something that Northumbria University is keen to watch. Gill Davidson is one of
the researchers, "We're trying to find out how this community grows.
Some people started off being very environmentally aware and were living
that kind of lifestyle already, whereas others weren't and we're finding that
people are getting into the lifestyle much more now. There are gardening groups
and a community group is also being set up."
Some people's good habits
seem to be rubbing off on others. If not, there's a gadget which can help them
along the way. Each kitchen has an energy monitor.
It shows how much
electricity is being used and how much it costs.Visible difference between the
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the most out of your cycling training and competition. Early findings from this
two-year experiment suggest that house bills at Sinclair Meadows are about £30
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compared to £30 per week in an average UK house.
Tenant Rachel MacMillan
says fuel poverty hasn't been an issue for her even in the winter "My bills have
halved since moving here in November, compared to what they were in my old
house" She says. "As you can see, its 25C now, and I don't even have the heating
on".
It costs between £77 and £115 per week to live here, but people who
carry out repairs or run the boiler can get a reduction. The experiment itself
is due to end in 2014 but residents say they plan to stay here for many years to
come.