Housing at the cutting edge

IT doesn’t look anything like a conventional council estate. It even has solar panels on roofs that top buildings of varied shapes and sizes. It’s more like a housing development of the future.

The €9 million social housing scheme, at Rathass, Tralee, should reduce energy bills by 40% because of its modern, environmentally-friendly design, it was claimed yesterday.

The 64-dwelling scheme, officially opened by Housing and Urban Renewal Minister Noel Ahern, also has gas condensing boilers and draught lobbies to save on fuels costs.

Built by Tralee Town, the project received €320,000 from Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) as part of the House of Tomorrow Project and innovative energy solutions have been incorporated to reduce running costs.

Seven bungalows and the crèche have under-floor heating supplied by a geothermal heat pump and heat exchange ventilation units have been installed.

“The combination of increased levels of insulation and the use of innovative energy practices produces energy savings of over 40% for the scheme,” said Tralee mayor Terry O’Brien. Dwellings range from one-bedroom apartments to five-bedroom units and includes some special needs housing and a community facility/crèche.

Each avenue looks different and the dwellings overlook two open spaces.

As part of the House of Tomorrow project, the town council will monitor the energy performance and requirements of the houses over a number of years.

All these innovative energy practices will make the units more sustainable for the occupants and reduce CO2 emissions to the environment.

It is the first housing scheme in Tralee to have a purpose-built childcare/community facility.

“This underlines the council’s policy of supporting effective estate management and the establishment of residents’ associations to provide opportunities for tenants to participate more fully in the management and maintenance of their housing estates,” Mr O’Brien said.

“The provision of such a facility also highlights the Council’s objective of building sustainable communities and not just houses. This complies with SEI guidelines and the proposed EU Energy Performance in Building Directive,” he said.

The development was designed by the National Building Agency for the council and is the first such partnership between the council and the agency.

Minister Ahern, meanwhile, urged councils countrywide to get on with the building of social housing, saying that a 9% increase in funding was being provided this year.