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April 16th 2008
New Homes and Cheaper Bills for Tenants.

Coast & Country tenants, who had been living in prefab bungalows, are likely to cut hundreds of pounds a year from their bills thanks to a state-of-the-art heating system.

Coast & Country is now moving them from their old prefabs into 25 brand new bungalows at Meadowfields Close in Marske. The move has coincided with a severe cold snap and a sharp rise in gas and electricity prices. But it is estimated that the tenants could actually save up to a thousand pounds a year on their bills.

Coast & Country provided an extra £100,000 for a ground source heating system for the bungalows, which converts heat from the earth into a highly efficient energy supply. Not only will the tenants’ homes be powered economically, but the system is also extremely eco-friendly. It is estimated that the average annual carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced from 12.6 tonnes per prefab to 1.3 tonnes per new bungalow. Or, put another way, the amount of carbon dioxide produced by the prefabs was enough to fill 68 double-decker buses. Emissions from the new bungalows would fill just seven.

The prefabs, which were built after the war to house soldiers returning home, had a variety of different heating systems, including night store heaters and electric panel convector heaters. They cost around £1400 and £1700 per year to run. The heating system for the bungalows will reduce bills to between £500 and £600.

Norman and Ethel Evans lived in their prefab for nine years. They have now moved into their new home. Norman said: “We had night storage heaters which meant it was very hot during day but cooled down very quickly in the evening. In fact it was so hot we had to have windows and doors open, even in the winter. At night I would go to bed really early – about eight o’clock – just to keep warm.”

Iain Sim, Chief Executive said: “There are so many things which are better in their new bungalows compared to the prefabs. Fuel poverty is a major issue in this country and we think the extra investment we made, to provide affordable and clean energy, is money well spent. The development at East Meadows demonstrates our commitment to improving the lives of people throughout Redcar and Cleveland.”

The prefabs were described as “Homes for Heroes”, but only meant to have a lifespan of ten years. Despite their age and the problems and expense of keeping them repaired and heated, a strong community developed and the tenants of Coast & Country were initially reluctant to move.

However, detailed consultation, the quality of the new bungalows and a promise to keep neighbours together convinced tenants that the move was to their benefit. The development is being carried out in phases, so that tenants can remain in their old homes until their new ones are ready. Coast & Country’s development partner Yuill Homes worked closely with tenants to ensure that they had a sense of ownership of their new homes, well before the foundations were laid, even allowing tenants to have sneak previews of their new homes as they were being built.

The first phase - 14 bungalows - is now complete, with the new tenants firmly installed in their new warm homes. Coast & Country staff were at hand from day one of their move, to ensure they understood how the heating system works to meet their individual needs. The remaining 11 bungalows will be completed in the summer.

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