Carbon-Cutting Council Homes Near Completion

An ultra-energy-efficient council house development in South Tyneside will soon be welcoming its first tenants.

The 10-property build at Hindmarch Drive in Boldon is nearing completion.

The development will provide a mix of two-bedroomed houses, apartments and bungalows for affordable rent.

All the homes will be A rated for energy consumption and will use energy efficiency measures including air source heat pumps, solar panels and battery storage. They will all have electric vehicle charging points.

The apartments and houses are fitted with Wondrwall (ok) Smart technology, which provides a low carbon alternative to traditional convection hearing.

The system uses motion sensors to detect room occupancy and automatically heats the rooms in use.

The homes also have intelligent ceiling mounted infrared heating panels which allow residents to schedule and heat individual zones.

Energy generated from the solar panels, as well as cheaper off-peak energy drawn from the grid, will be stored, further cutting consumption.

Cllr Jim Foreman, Lead Member for Housing and Community Safety, said: "These are going to be fantastic homes which are highly energy efficient, allowing residents to reduce energy consumption and benefit from cheaper bills.

"We've set ourselves some ambitious targets in our drive towards net zero and properties like these, fitted with low carbon technology, will boost our efforts to cut emissions.

"We're proactive about providing high quality, futureproofed homes, in line with our ambition of creating strong communities where people live in safe, sustainable neighbourhoods.

"I'd like to thank the teams from South Tyneside Homes for delivering this first-class development."

The homes are being built through the Housing Revenue Account, following changes to the cap on borrowing limits and grant funding provided by Homes England, and as part of the council's five-year housing strategy.