Focus
Eleven new Eco Homes are built at Poundbury
16th January 2007
The Prince, who is well known for his views on the environment, wanted to show that environmentally-friendly homes could be designed to be in keeping with the sort of houses that have been enduringly popular over many years.
He also wanted to show developers that it was commercially viable to build more environmentally friendly homes.
The Prince has spoken of his desire to demonstrate the value of building more sustainable homes.
His Royal Highness said: "I am trying to demonstrate the long-term value of building in an ecologically sustainable way at Poundbury.
"Not only can 'green' buildings earn higher rents and prices, but also cost less to operate and maintain.
"I hope this will go some way to convincing even the most hard-headed commercial operators that sustainability is something worth thinking about!"
The 11 new Eco-Homes at Poundbury, which include 5 large houses and 6 apartments, have half the energy running costs of an average home.
The homes have been very popular and all homes were sold off-plan within four weeks in early 2006.
This demonstrates that investing in more sustainable homes can be a profitable option for the large-scale house builder.
Better for the environment
The houses are rated as the Building Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) Eco Homes Excellent, the highest Building Research Establishment rating, and have a National Home Energy Rating (NHER) rating of 10.
The Eco Homes, a joint venture by the Duchy of Cornwall and Cornhill Estates, have the following energy saving features:
- Solar hot water heating – this will supply approximately 70 percent of the annual hot water demand;
- Photovoltaic roof tiles – these will provide at least one third of the annual electricity demand, saving 412kg of carbon dioxide per year;
- Rainwater harvesting and dual flush toilets – these features will reduce water bills by about 50 per cent. Water butts at the apartments will collect rainwater from the roof to supply the communal garden;
- Heat recovery ventilation – this will take heat from the air extracted from kitchens and bathrooms and will transfer it to the main living rooms and bedrooms;
- Sheep wool loft insulation – this long-wearing material has the potential to last the lifetime of the building.
In addition to the energy efficient features which are fitted as standard, the Eco Homes have integrated waste recycling, excellent natural lighting to all rooms, storage for bicycles for all homes, A-rated appliances in all homes and Class 1 flues for wood burning stoves.
The homes are also built using timber approved by the Forestry Stewardship Council throughout.
Poundbury – a walkable community
Poundbury is based on some of the timeless principles that have enabled many places around Britain to endure and thrive over the centuries.
It is a high-density urban quarter of Dorchester which gives priority to people, rather than cars, and where commercial buildings are mixed with residential areas, shops and leisure facilities to create a walkable community.
The result is an attractive and pleasing place, in keeping with the character of Dorchester, in which people can live, work, shop and play.
Poundbury has proved increasingly influential, attracting international interest and generating hundreds of organised tours every year from architects, town planners and others.
The success of Poundbury has now been recognised far beyond Dorset and many of the principles have been incorporated into the Government’s Planning Guidance Note (PPG3).
Click here to find out more about Poundbury.