Working With Wealden
Ecosphere hold the 10 year maintenance contract with Wealden District Council servicing all of the properties across the district. We are on 24 hour call out 365 days a year to attend to any issues the tenants may have. We also offer a telephone service that tenants can call to have any minor work done.
Wealden are a green council, leading the way with renewables with some really ground breaking ambitious projects including the roll out of 172 heat pumps into their Social Housing schemes targeting fuel poverty for the tenants and also earning revenue from the RHI that is being reinvested in more green projects.
Making our heating more energy efficient
Wealden District Council and Ecosphere Renewables have completed more than two thirds of an ambitious programme to install air source heat pumps in 172 council properties.
“A sizable proportion of our 3,100 council homes are in rural areas where there is no gas supply. This means many tenants have to rely on the more expensive option of solid fuel heating,” said Councillor Graham Wells, Cabinet member for Housing on Wealden District Council. “Providing the home is well insulated, air source heat pumps can make a significant difference to heating costs. The air source heat pumps takes the heat from the outside air and can produce hot water for central heating.”
“On average, tenants have noticed a £500 a year saving in their heating bills. What’s more, the improvements should reduce the Council’s carbon footprint by 10,000 tonnes over the next seven years.”
After initial trials were carried out on a number of 1940s council homes in Frant, Wealden went ahead with a four phase improvement scheme for traditional solid fuel heated properties across the district including homes in Herstmonceux, Ninfield, Maresfield, Crowborough, Nutley, Berwick, Danehill, High Hurstwood, Framfield, East Hoathly, Punnets Town, Waldron and Blackham.
So far air source pump heating has been installed in 122 of the 172 homes scheduled for the scheme.
The scheme will have cost £1.1 million when it has been completed and will include air source heat pumps with some households having solar thermal panels. Some £500,000 of funding has been provided by the Department of Energy & Climate Change to help with the cost of installing this technology. All the work will be eligible for the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive which will earn it over £1 million over the coming seven years. This money will be reinvested in further energy savings measures across the District.
The work has been carried out by Ecosphere Renewables, part of the Uckfield-based company, Chris Bartholomew Electrical. Wealden has used Panasonic Aquarea air source heat pumps which have a co-efficiency performance rating of 4.74, which means for every one unit of heat the pump consumes, it creates 4.74 units of heat. Heat pumps deliver heat at lower temperatures for much longer periods.
“At the end of the day, cost, reliability and a good co-efficiency performance rating is essential for meeting council objectives and ensuring that our residents are in a well-heated, comfortable environment,” said Abdul Hussain, Wealden’s Home Energy Efficiency Officer.
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