FE Peacock wins work on Peterborough Envirocluster Retrofit challenge
12 April 2010
FE Peacockwill work on a new project launched by The UK Centre for Economic & Environmental Development (UK CEED). The aim is to adapt a house in Peterborough with innovative solutions to make it more sustainable and energy efficient.
The home involved in the Peterborough EnviroCluster Retrofit Challenge is a three bedroom end-terrace house built around 1973. Much of the work is planned to take place without the residents having to vacate the property.
The 'retrofit' will include insulation of the entire house, triple glazing, solar thermal heating, a heat recovery unit and a 'solar porch'.
FE Peacock regularly builds homes that meet the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 - some 25 percent above the standard building regulations specification for energy performance - highlighting the company's commitment to creating affordable, well-built and energy-efficient homes.
The retrofit project is one of 87 social housing projects across the UK benefiting from a share of £17 million of government funding from the Technology Strategy Board's 'Retrofit for the Future' competition to test low carbon building technologies in social housing.
In Peterborough, a project group was put together by UK CEED and Peterborough City Council comprising experts such as FE Peacock from the city's EnviroCluster network of environmental companies.
Work is due to start in May and be completed by November this year.
The aim of the project is to understand and implement best practice retrofitting which is key to meeting the government's targets on carbon dioxide emissions. The results of the project will be shared on a national level to help show how the UK's current housing stock could be made more energy efficient.
Karl Hick, managing director of FE Peacock, commented; "This is an ideal opportunity for FE Peacock to demonstrate our expertise in providing energy efficient housing. We are proud to be part of Peterborough's EnviroCluster of 'green' companies that is significantly contributing to the city's ambitions to become the UK environment capital."
Gareth Jones, project manager at UK CEED, said "This is a fantastic project for Peterborough as it creates an opportunity for businesses in the construction and environmental sectors to come together, collaborate, and generate an innovative solution to the problem of energy efficiency in existing housing stock. FE Peacock has an excellent reputation in sustainable construction and therefore it is a valued member of the project's EnviroCluster network of environmental companies."