27 July 2009 11:16
E.ON and Barratt deliver homes that will save London residents up to 23% on energy bills(1)

Over 550 residents are moving into new Eco-Homes officially rated as ‘excellent' ⁽²⁾ thanks to a ground breaking partnership between E.ON and Barratt.  Instead of getting gas from the national grid, residents will be supplied by a community heating network which could reduce carbon emissions by up to 25%⁽³⁾ and cut heating and hot water bills by up to 23%⁽¹⁾.

 

The development at Dalston Square, Hackney, East London, contains a ‘decentralised energy centre'. This means that rather than receiving gas direct from an energy supplier, residents and businesses will receive heat, fed in the form of hot water, from a local, low carbon energy centre which will also be producing electricity. 

 

Dalston Square's development of residential retail units and a public library is supplied with heat from an onsite energy centre powered by gas-fired Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units⁽⁴⁾, along with biomass boilers and gas-fired back up boilers, providing 5Mw of heating and hot water and 185Kw of power.

 

Each home or business is equipped with a heat meter to measure the amount of heat delivered rather than the amount of gas used.  Equipped with smart technology, the meters are read remotely and residents will receive a monthly bill in the normal way.

 

Residents will receive electricity via the National Grid; however the library and retail units will receive electricity generated in the energy centre through the CHP units.

 

Under an Energy Services Company (ESCo) agreement⁽⁵⁾, E.ON Sustainable Energy Solutions will manage and operate the decentralised energy centre.  The carbon emissions reduction at Dalston Square has earnt the site an Eco-Home rating of ‘excellent'; the equivalent of a Level 3 in the Code for Sustainable Homes⁽²⁾.

 

Don Leiper, Managing Director of E.ON Energy Services, said, "Across the E.ON Group we have extensive experience in decentralised energy  and the development at Dalston Square is a wonderful example of how advances in technology and partnered expertise can have clear environmental and financial benefits for residents.

 

"Decentralised energy centres, which generate community based, low carbon energy from more sustainable sources, look set to play a major part in helping the UK keep energy prices affordable, carbon emissions down and the country's lights on.

 

"We remain committed to changing the way people use and view energy and are working hard to continue to reduce the carbon footprint and energy costs of homes and businesses across the UK in all kinds of ways".

 

To find out more about E.ON Sustainable Energy Solutions please visit eonenergy.com/sustainableenergy or call 0800 051 5687.

 

Ends

Notes to editors:

1. Based on industry average gas consumption of 20,500kWh/annum for an average dwelling size of 100m2 with traditional heating costs based upon an average gas consumption of 205kWh/m2 (source: Bovis and Barratt). Costs for boiler maintenance and future boiler replacement have been included (£256 per annum, based on a boiler maintenance fee of £13 per month and a boiler replacement cost of £100 per annum on a £1,500 boiler replaced every 15c years. Heat requirements for properties at Dalston Square have been derived from a reasonable estimate of consumption for new build properties of this build quality and type over a 12 month period. Consumption per house varies on size of house, number of people, number and type of appliances, age and type of property, location, aspect, behaviour, demographics etc;

2. Code for Sustainable Homes: A mandatory rating against the Code has been implemented for new homes since May 2008. The Code measures the sustainability of a new home, rating the ‘whole home' as a complete package. The Code uses a 1 to 6 star rating to communicate the overall sustainability performance of a new home. The Code sets minimum standards for energy and water use at each level and, within England, it replaces the EcoHomes scheme, developed by the Building Research Establishment;

3. Carbon savings based on Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3;

4. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) is the simultaneous generation of usable heat and power (electricity) in a single process. In a conventional power station only part of the input energy is converted to electricity (typically 30-50%). The rest is lost as heat to the surroundings. In a CHP system the waste heat is recovered to supply heat for space heating and hot water. As CHP systems are installed locally onsite, supplying customers with heat and power directly at the point of use, distribution losses are avoided. Overall efficiency is much higher (in excess of 70%) meaning that CHP systems can make a significant contribution to the UK's sustainable energy goals, bringing environmental, economic, and social benefits. CHP systems can be fuelled in a number of ways including natural gas, diesel, bio-diesel and bio-gas. CHP can use diverse fuels in the same boiler. This means that, as greener fuels like biomass become available, they can be used in the CHP plant instead;

5. An Energy Supply Company (ESCo) is a legal, commercial entity which can be set up to design, produce, supply and manage the delivery of decentralised energy. Decentralised energy is the generation of energy close to where it is needed.

 

When granting planning consent for the Dalston Lane South scheme, Hackney Council, the local planning authority, included a planning condition requiring the installation of a heating system that all occupiers (both residential and commercial) are connected to. This is a requirement for a district heating system or decentralised energy system. In addition, the Development Agreement (between Hackney Council, the London Development Agency as landowners, and Barratt) for the Dalston Lane South site requires that an Energy Services Company (ESCo) is appointed.

 

Additional information about E.ON:

• E.ON's retail business is a leading energy supplier in the UK, with around 5.5 million electricity and gas customers, covering domestic, SME and industrial;
• E.ON is one of the leading green generators in the UK, with 21 wind farms located from Cornwall to Northern Ireland and one of the largest dedicated biomass power stations. Combined, its renewable portfolio generates enough green energy to power the homes in a city the size of Manchester;
• E.ON is a market leader in Combined Heat and Power, providing customers with around 600MW of electricity and more than 1,000MW of heat at 13 sites across the country;
• E.ON is one of only two major energy companies accredited under the Government's Low Carbon Building Programme Phase 2, which aims to reduce carbon emissions from buildings in the public and charity sector. To find out more visit http://www.lowcarbonbuildingsphase2.org.uk/;
• E.ON launched its Sustainable Energy Solutions business in 2007, providing low carbon energy solutions to businesses. For information on E.ON's Sustainable Energy Solutions visit www.eonenergy.com/sustainable or call free on 0800 051 5687.

 

For more information contact:

For more information, please contact Daniella Haslam at E.ON on 02476 191 511 or Jag Kahlon on 02476 181 308.