Digging in for green energy

8:57am Thursday 12th April 2007

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Villagers in north Oxfordshire will be among the first in the county to have heating and hot water provided using energy from the Earth.

Engineers are digging 70m-deep boreholes in Weston-on-the-Green for ground source heat pump systems.

The technology is being installed at 13 Airey-type prefabricated homes in Weston-on-the-Green, Shipton-on-Cherwell and Launton, near Bicester, by Charter Community Housing and energy firm Powergen.

The housing association says the pumps will radically reduce residents' energy bills.

Planned maintenance manager Andy Holloway said: "Ground source heat pumps are quite common on the Continent, but they're still fairly unusual over here. Certainly, we're the first housing association in this area to install them."

His colleague Ali Bromhall said Charter had researched ways to provide environment- ally-friendly energy to the homes and the heat pumps offered the best solution, fitting in well with other renovation work on the houses such as improved insulation.

Powergen spokesman Shirley Goodey added: "It's a shining example of the growing number of housing associations who are committing to energy efficiency and incorporating energy-saving measures into their refurbishments and new developments."

Drilling work began at Church Close, in Weston-on-the-Green, last month and the heat pumps are expected to be ready for use next month.

Their installation is part of an extensive improvement scheme for the Airey homes, which were built in 1948, including new brickwork, double-glazing and insulation,.

Donald Robinson, of the Bicester branch of environment campaigning group Friends of the Earth, said: "The pumps are a very successful system, but only really economical if they're new houses, or being redeveloped.

"They're quite expensive but with a long-term payback. They're a very, very good thing. I don't know of many in this area."

Last month, Oxfordshire County Council announced that a new £4.7m science centre at St Birinus School, in Didcot, will use a similar heat pump system.