Published on 23 - November - 2009

New homes to be built without central heating

A new housing project in Northern Ireland will include homes that are so energy efficient they will have no need for central heating.

More than 50 social housing properties will be built over the next three years in the scheme which is led by Habitat for Humanity Northern Ireland, which said each house will be 75% more energy efficient than average and will use advanced technology from local firm Tyrone Timberframes.

The properties will be made air-tight and will be fitted with triple-glazed windows and contain a "whole house ventilation" system from Villavent, which will recover at least 80% of the heat from stale air in the home and redistribute it into a supply of fresh filtered air.

The executive director of Habitat for Humanity in Northern Ireland, Peter Farquharson, said the ambitious plan would "fundamentally changes how people view new homes" and have a "far reaching impact for the community and the sector".

The first phase begins in east Belfast. Habitat for Humanity is a Christian organisation which helps families to build their own homes, with the help of volunteers. The entire project will require 84,000 hours of volunteer time.

The £5m project is thought to be the first time across the UK and Ireland that houses in the social housing sector have been built without the requirement of a central heating system.

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