Zero Carbon Electric Homes

Zero Carbon Electric Homes

Organisation behind the project

Lune Valley Community Land Trust (CLT) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-led group which was set up in 2019 to build and manage sustainable, energy-efficient, affordable homes for local people in the North Lancashire village of Halton-with-Aughton.

Background and detailed description of the project

Our £10,000 grant was used to fund a feasibility study which has shown that an existing community-owned renewable energy scheme can be extended to supply a new development in Halton-with-Aughton.

The existing Lancaster Cohousing private wire network is a pioneering example of community-owned renewable energy. The 41 residential homes and a number of small business units are powered by a mix of solar panels and hydro-electricity.

Lune Valley CLT is co-ordinating a plan to build 40 new affordable, all electric homes, a mix of rental and shared ownership, and connect them to the same renewable energy scheme by extending the private wire.

The new houses comprise 20 affordable homes being built by the CLT in partnership with South Lakes Housing. A further 20 homes are being built for over 55s by Halton Senior Cohousing on an adjacent plot. Both developments will be built to Passivhaus standard and will be entirely powered by electricity.

Before building can start on the new developments, a feasibility study was needed to assess the cost and practicality of the scheme. The study showed that there is enough capacity to support the combined load of the new houses and that costs for extending the private wire are about the same as for a standard connection to the grid.

The study also showed that all-electric homes are feasible and recommended the installation of high efficiency air source heat pumps, as costs are comparable to traditional gas central heating.

Currently only 15% of the renewable energy generated on the Lancaster Cohousing private wire is used locally. This project could see a further 17% being used to power the two new developments. The project will therefore increase the community benefits associated with the existing solar and hydro schemes, the profits of which are channelled into a community fund for the benefit of the village.

As well as providing 100% renewable energy to the new homes, residents’ energy bills will be cheaper than buying electricity from the grid and will therefore help combat fuel poverty.

The project will act as a case study for other developments by demonstrating the feasibility of 100% electric, energy-efficient homes, powered by locally-supplied community renewable energy.

Project partners

To deliver the Zero Carbon Electric Homes project, the Lune Valley CLT worked with a number of partners including:

• Halton Senior Cohousing – to provide information about their development to the consultants
• MORE Renewables – to provide data on the solar power scheme
• Halton Lune Hydro – to provide data on the local hydro generation scheme
• Aecom – to deliver the detailed techno feasibility report
• Lancaster Cohousing – to provide technical details on the private wire and transformer and data on the private wire export, import and household consumption
• Electricity North West – to provide costs for a grid connection and extending the private wire, and to advise on the transformer capabilities and technical options for extending the private wire.

Where to go for further information

For more information on our community and local energy strategy visit our strategy page, or to find out more about the work of the Lune Valley Community Land Trust visit their website.

To find out more about heat pumps, hydro and solar power see our online guides.

.