Builders putting energies into eco home

9:00am Sunday 17th September 2006

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A ST ALBANS building firm is well on the way to transforming a traditional 1950's council house into a show-case of energy efficiency.

Borras Construction, which is based in Campfield Road, is working on the vacant three-bedroom semi-detached home in Smallford on behalf of the district council.

The pilot project will help the authority test which eco-features would be most effective for the rest of its housing stock.

The building's string of new features will include a solar roof panel, a 1,000-watt wind turbine and a 4,700-litre underground rainwater-recycling tank.

A new ground floor extension, framed in cedar from Canada which needS less energy to produce than conventional brickwork, will be protected by a rood made of sedum, a natural fibre providing insulation, and reducing rainwater run-off by absorption.

The energy-saving gadgets, which also include argon-filled double glazing, a solar-powered bathroom extractor fan, roof insulation made from recycled newspaper, wool and hemp and extra-efficient central heating, will hopefully make the home self-sufficient in power consumption.

The house will have low-flow taps and half-flush toilets to ease the strain on the local water table, while daylight will be exploited to the maximum with glazed roofing panes.

Materials left over from the demolition of the old house, including rubble, wooden joists and old plastic windows, have been re-used or recycled, helping Borras earn a Considerate Constructor certificate for the way it has handled site operations.

A series of open days for specialist trades and local families will be held before the new tenants move in this autumn.