Energy bills halved at new flats
New tenant says she feels lucky to pick up her keys
THE FIRST residents have started moving into new eco-friendly apartments in Salford where energy bills are said to cost less than half the usual price. Among them is Harriette Matthews, a 29-year-old studying to be a counsellor, who picked up her keys last week.
She was given one of the 13 apartments available for ‘affordable rent’ at the new Greenhaus building. The largest eco-friendly development of its kind in the North West, the apartment block in Chapel Street features 96 ‘highly-sustainable,’ affordable flats.
Harriette has been staying on her dad’s sofa in his one-bedroom flat for the past seven months following a relationship breakdown. She has autism and is a sufferer of scoliosis - a curvature of the spine - meaning her living conditions have been affecting her health.
She said moving into the Passivhaus Classic Certified building will transform her life - and the development’s eco credentials are the icing on the cake for her. She said: “I just can’t put into words how much of a difference having my own home will make to my life.
“When I got the call from my housing officer at Salix Homes to say I had a place at Greenhaus, I just couldn’t believe it - I feel so lucky.
“I know all about Passivhaus as
I’d seen it on Grand Designs, and I always said to myself that when I get my own place, I want it to be Passivhaus, and now I’m living in one - it couldn’t be more perfect.”
Built to the leading low-energy design standard, the nine-storey development provides homes which offer ‘high thermal comfort’ and ‘improved air quality,’ creating a healthier living environment as well as lower bills. The monthly cost of heating and hot water at Greenhaus is expected to be less than half that of a similar sized new-build home with a gas boiler, according to the developers.
Greenhaus has been delivered by ECF - a joint venture between Homes England, Legal & General, and Muse - alongside Salford housing association Salix Homes. It is part of the £1bn, 50-acre Salford Central transformation, delivered in partnership with Salford council, which will take the percentage of affordable homes built across the Chapel Street area of the masterplan to 25 per cent.
Work is soon set to start on a second Passivhaus development on nearby Peru Street, which will deliver a further 100 affordable and highly sustainable apartments. Salford’s Labour mayor Paul Dennett was at the official launch of Greenhaus on Monday, March 18.
He hailed the development as ‘the benchmark’ for new-build, affordable, and sustainable homes. He said: “We continue to be immensely proud of the innovation and drive to deliver forward thinking, sustainable developments in Salford - testament to the culture our city fosters and shares with our broader region.
“The regeneration of Salford is burgeoning and our future looking brighter and greener with each and every milestone we reach. We also work to ensure that local people can benefit for the growth and development that is taking place here - creating new jobs and opportunities for all.” Greenhaus is a mixed tenure development of one- and twobedroom homes, including two accessible apartments on the ground floor. It comprises 11 homes for social rent, 13 homes for affordable rent and 72 homes available as part of the Rent to Buy scheme. Designed by architects Buttress, the new homes are triple glazed, with air source heat pumps and the latest in insulation technology.
These features contribute to a healthier living environment by reducing the risk of damp, mould and condensation, developers say.
I know all about Passivhaus as I’d seen it on Grand Designs Harriette Matthews