Insulation, Solar Panels, Heat Pumps and Wind Turbines From Mark Group

Coastline Housing

May 2008

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Coastline was established in 1998 and is a successful and growing independent housing association based in West Cornwall.

They own over 3,500 homes with a diverse mix of tenures including: affordable rent, shared ownership, key worker housing and supported housing.

Each year they build new homes and improve existing housing stock to provide their tenants with equitable affordable warmth standards. Insulation of walls and roofs is important and where homes are situated away from mains gas they have been looking at alternative, cost effective renewable forms of heating.

Coastline is a highly driven energy efficiency company who are aiming to be carbon neutral.

The Challenges

Work was established with Coastline over 3 years ago when Mark Group were commissioned to provide insulation to their housing stock. On survey it was established that cavity wall insulation had already been done, however 2,000 properties were in need of loft insulation.

More recently Coastline have wanted to investigate the use of microgeneration technologies in their housing stock, in their aim to become carbon neutral.

The Solutions

The properties requiring loft insulation were completed in agreed timescales and the Mark Group obtained 100% funding from our energy supplier partners for Coastline.

The renewable technologies challenge required Mark Group to survey a number of properties to ascertain which products may by suitable for trial. Funding throught the Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 2 was obtained by Coastline with the Mark Group’s assistance, to trial a number of some renewable technologies.

A scheme was identified to look at installing wind turbines into some of the housing stock, however due to issues, such as location, these were not deemed suitable and only one has been installed to date on Tarn West Hostel.

One ground source heat pump has been installed and a new scheme of air source heat pumps has now been established – two of which have been installed to date. The potential of this project could extend to another 1,000 properties.

Nine Solar Hot Water panels have been installed successfully at Tarn West Hostel – a complex of 12 self contained flats. Virtually free hot water is now flowing readily through the taps and the tenants are reaping the benefits.

Coastline and Mark Group are continuing to work together to identify properties and technologies which compliment each other to the ultimate benefit of Coastline’s tenants.

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