TV Energy has recently held two more trips to low-energy housing and office developments in neighbouring regions.

On Friday 29th April, 2005, TV Energy led its second trip to Nottinghamshire to visit the innovative housing schemes developed in the villages of Hockerton and Collingham. Twenty-two people undertook the long trip and they came from a mix of professions and backgrounds, including councillors, housing officers and architects. The aim of the trip was to see two visually very different housing developments developed using very different approaches, but which achieve similar aims in both fully embracing sustainability. Not only do both developments make use of renewable energy, they also demonstrate excellent energy efficiency, innovative solutions to water management and a host of other environmental features. The comparison highlights that the layout and design can be as novel or as mainstream as you like: embracing a sustainability agenda in housing is not only possible, but in fact makes good sense! 

The trip has been one of the best TV Energy has organised, with much positive feedback on both occasions. It is hoped to run the trip again in coming months, with a particular focus on those in the house-building industry, architects, planners and councillors. Below are short descriptions of each site visited. 

The Hockerton Housing Project is an innovative residential sustainable development in the village of Hockerton, to the north west of Newark, Notts. It was completed in September 1998 after three years of planning and 18 months of construction. The development has been designed as one of the first zero energy residential systems in the UK reducing life cycle energy to a minimum. Maximum use of benign, organic and recycled materials has been made in the construction and the development is designed to be, to a large extent, self-sufficient. The houses are earth- covered and have passive solar heating without a space heating system. Two wind turbines (one 6kW Proven and one 5kW Iskra turbine) and a 7.65kWp photovoltaic (PV) system provide all of the electricity required to run the homes. The water and sewage system is self-contained. 

It is the UK's first earth-sheltered, self-sufficient ecological housing development. Project members live a holistic way of life in harmony with the environment, in which all ecological impacts have been considered and accounted for. The houses are amongst the most energy efficient, purpose- built dwellings in Europe. 

Millennium Green is a privately-funded housing development which offers a range of house types from 2 to 6 bedrooms. The houses are conventional in appearance but outstrip conventional housing in energy performance. They are super-insulated, orientated for optimal passive solar collection, heat their water through solar panels and collect rainwater for toilets, washing machines and outside taps. Through a careful choice of materials the houses are low maintenance and offer a healthy indoor environment. 

The 25-house development sits in the village of Collingham, which is well served with a range of shops, pubs, sports club and special interest groups. There is a rail link to nearby Newark, which is on the East Coast mainline. All the homes sold as quickly as their more conventional rivals (during 1999-2002) and cost between £200-300k. They now sell for 10% premium as a result of their high environmental specification. 

On 16th May, 2005 TV Energy organised a visit for over 30 guests to see Beaufort Court, the low-energy, sustainable office conversion in Kings Langley, Herts., home of Renewable Energy Systems Ltd (RES). The 225kW wind turbine is a familiar feature to regular users of the M25, but the former Ovaltine egg farm also boasts a PVT system (a photovoltaic array combined with solar water heating) and a biomass boiler. The 32 guests of TV Energy, who hailed from a variety of interested organisations, were given a tour of the highlights of the site by helpful RES staff, and the chance to ask questions about this environmentally exemplary office development. 

As well as the renewable energy features, they heard information on the subterranean seasonal thermal store, the borehole cooling system using a natural aquifer to cool the offices in the summer, the excellent building standards in terms of energy conservation, including high quality fabric, layout, passive solar design and the use of specially-trained hornbeam shrubs for summer shading (see picture).

KOREAN DELEGATION VISIT 

(21st October 2003)

An interested group of officials and managers led by Korea's Energy
Management Corporation paid TV Energy and Greenham Common Trust a visit in October. As part of a government education and inspection visit, regional energy programme managers wished to hear about how English regions are tackling energy efficiency and the introduction of renewable energy. 

During presentations, ideas on best practice and a few 'NIMBY' anecdotes were shared. The picture shows Keith Richards of TVE exchanging gifts with the leader of the Korean delegation.