Leigh Eco-home open for visitors | Latest News

A 3-bedroom semi-detached home in Juniper Road, Leigh, has recently been completely renovated and retrofitted with energy and water saving measures, which have turned it into one of the most sustainable homes in the UK.

The project has been carried out by the council’s ‘Catchment to Coast’ project team, supported by South Essex Homes, and paid for by funding via the FCRIP (Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme) which is run by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

Residents are now being invited by the council to book a viewing and see firsthand how these eco-friendly innovations can transform a typical home. 

 

This initiative forms part of the council's commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030.  With around 40% of the council's carbon emissions originating from its housing, retrofitting homes is key to reducing this impact.  The Juniper Road show home serves as an educational resource and a first step towards this goal, highlighting effective technologies and their practical application for South Essex Homes residents and partners. 

A newly released video offers an in-depth look at the Juniper Road project, including interviews with the project team and the council's portfolio holder.  Additionally, a podcast has now been launched to showcase all the individual elements of the project, which you can find on all social media sites and Spotify, as well as YouTube: (130) The People Place and Nature Podcast - YouTube . Please subscribe to this channel if you’d like to find out more.

Tours of the Juniper Road home are available upon request until the end of February. To book your visit, please contact the Housing Sustainability team at retrofit@southend.gov.uk . 

Some of the measures in the house and garden include:

• external wall insulation - this home was built in the 1950/60s and has uninsulated solid walls. The existing conservatory was removed and slabs of 100mm insulation were fixed to all external walls then covered with weatherproof render and decorated
• loft insulation - we topped up the existing insulation in the loft by adding 400mm of mineral wool insultation
• windows and doors - We fitted new insulated draught free doors and triple glazed windows. The extra pane of glass will reduce heat loss and provide the added benefit of improved soundproofing and security
• air source heat pump - by insulating the home we reduced heat loss and lowered heating demand by over half. This meant we could choose a smaller system than would otherwise be required - lowering upfront and ongoing costs. The existing gas boiler was replaced with an electric Air Source Heat Pump. We also fitted a hot water cylinder, new radiators and heating controls
• ventilation - to improve ventilation, we installed two heat recovery units which continuously extract stale air. The units capture the heat from this extracted air before it is released outside. This same heat is used to warm the incoming fresh air, which reduces overall heat loss from the home
• solar panels - we installed 10 solar panels on this roof which will generate around 3,000kWh of electricity per year. This energy will help to power the air source heat pump and electrical appliances in the home. This means 31% of the homes electrical energy will be generated on site. A battery which stores energy will also be fitted prior to occupation of the home
• smart home monitoring - we've installed smart monitoring as part of the project to monitor heat, humidity and air quality of the home

The water resilience work in the house and garden was carried out by the Catchment-to-Coast project team, which is one of 25 national schemes looking at improving resilience to drought, surface-water flooding and coastal erosion, using nature-based solutions.

Paid for by funding via the FCRIP (Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme) which is run by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) interventions installed by service provider Eurovia include:

• greywater reuse (HydraLoop) - dedicated equipment captures greywater from the shower, washing machine and sinks and treats and re-uses the water for toilet flushing, washing machine and landscape irrigation
• smart water butt - the tank not only captures rainwater from part of the roof, but also connects to the Hydraloop to capture any excess water from the house. This tank replaces the outside mains tap that has been removed from the property
• hydrorocks - natural aquifer blocks have been placed under paved areas around the house to improve flood resilience. Blocks have also been placed in rain gardens to not only collect and store rainwater but also for plants to use to remove the need for watering
• highway water reuse - surface water is being redirected from the highway during rainfall, into the verge rain garden. The water is stored, treated and re-used by the plants in the verge rain garden, meaning rainwater is kept out of the surface water drains so assisting with flood resilience
• climate resilient garden - the garden has been designed to be colourful, low maintenance with low watering needs and year-round visual appeal and interest. Most of the plants in the garden have been chosen because they are pollinator friendly and encourage the health and population of pollinator insects which are fundamentally important for nature and the production of flowers, fruits and vegetables