Scheme Summary
The scheme is a development of 51 dwellings comprising bungalows, flats and family houses. The scheme received partial grant assistance from the European Union's Thermie Project, as part of the EHEN project, aimed at the promotion and demonstration of low energy design and technologies. The dwellings take advantage of both passive and active low energy features which are detailed below.

Scheme details
Grey water recycling
The work for the development of 51 dwelling was undertaken on a design and build basis, Design Partnership Wales carrying out the initial design for Gwalia Housing Society and being employed by the successful contractor to prepare production information. The team received assistance from Cenergia Energy Consultants of Denmark.

The passive and active low energy features which can be found across the range of dwellings, not all features are found in all dwellings, are as follows:

• The roof, external walls and floors are insulated to a significantly higher degree than required by the 1990 Building Regulations.
• Windows are Low E double glazed with sealed double glazing units. Some dwellings are triple glazed.
• Habitable rooms face south to take advantage of solar radiation while Ancillary spaces and circulation form a "buffer zone" to the north.
• Large areas of glazing to the south, with smaller windows to the north side to reduce heat loss.
• The south facing Sunstore (conservatory) captures available solar gain and, when required, the habitable rooms adjacent can be opened to admit the warmer air.
• The concrete floor and solid walls surrounding the Sunstore absorb and store direct solar radiation.
• The warm air can be extracted from the top of the Sunstore and the Living room and bedroom 1 and utilised, via a heat exchanger in the roofspace, to preheat incoming fresh air, as required.
• Surplus heat from habitable rooms can also be distributed to the "buffer zone" by simply opening intervening doors.
• Manually operated blinds to the internal face of the windows and roof-glazing in the Sunstore control overheating.
• Normal ventilation is achieved by opening a high-level roof window in the Sunstore, and cross ventilation in summer by opening the Sunstore doors and the habitable room doors, and the windows to the north.
• The central heating and domestic hot water system is gas fired.
• The hot water system is supplemented by roof mounted solar panels.

Contact: Philip Roberts, Director of Development, Gwalia Housing Society Ltd., 10 - 13 The Kingsway, Swansea, West Glamorgan SA1 5JN.
Tel: 01792 460609 Fax: 01792 650674