Living down the carbon

Massive conversion aims for luxury lifestyle with zero emissions When huge old industrial buildings are turned into trendy apartment complexes, the ‘landmark’ label is much over-used. The resurrection of Titanic Mill in Yorkshire, however, could be set to become a real landmark - on the road to low-carbon living. The vast, derelict Edwardian Grade II listed building near Huddersfield is being converted by developers Lowry Renaissance into five floors of chic apartments. You won’t get one for less than £133,295 - but you will get a whole ground floor suite of shared leisure facilities including spa, ‘beauty therapy village’, gym and swimming pool. If this smacks of indulgence on the water usage, prospective residents will be reassured by the knowledge that the site has its own private bore hole. But the distinctive part of the specification is that all this is to be achieved with zero net carbon emissions. Meeting that challenge, a task which the developers entrusted to Wiltshire-based specialists Energy for Sustainable Development (ESD), requires a combination of design features to minimise energy consumption, and built-in renewable power generation. On the low consumption side of the equation, ‘super-insulation’ is boosted by high performance windows with special coatings to cut heat loss, and a draught-proof building fabric. Low-energy ventilation with heat recovery minimises the heating required to deliver year-round ‘comfort’ temperatures. And smart management systems cut out unnecessary electricity use in audio systems, lighting and household appliances. The micro-generation equipment includes 400 square metres of solar photovoltaic panels on the roof, capable of delivering 40,000kWh/year - enough to power the white goods in all 130 apartments. But the real excitement is the on-site power generation plant - and the innovative way it is to be managed. The plant itself, providing heating and hot water, will comprise a combined heat and power biomass plant - running on locally sourced sustainable wood chippings - with a hook-up to the grid to import and export electricity at times of peak demand or surplus. Gas boilers will provide back-up heating cover. It’s not intended that residents should pay any premium for their ‘green’ power. ESD hopes that Mill Energy Services, the not-for-profit management company established to run it, will “demonstrate that a holistic approach to energy supply and demand can deliver carbon neutral energy services to private sector domestic consumers… on a commercially viable basis”. What’s more, the ownership and management of the company will be turned over to residents as they acquire their apartments - an intriguing indication of how much the developers expect them to ‘buy in’ to the whole zero emissions concept. If Titanic Mill achieves its objectives, the direct benefits will be substantial enough - avoiding emissions of up to 600 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. The impact of its example could be much more far-reaching. - Roger East

21 September 2005

Roger East