Summerfield Eco-neighbourhood - Winner of a Sustainable Housing Award for Community involvement/Engagement award 2009

Summerfield Eco-neighbourhood - Winner of a Sustainable Housing Award for Community involvement/Engagement award 2009

Awards

Sustainable Housing Awards: Community involvement/Engagement award 2009

European cities award 2009

National Housing Federation What We Are Proud Of award 2009

National Energy Efficiency Awards 2008

Name

Summerfield Eco-neighbourhood, Summerfield, Ladywood

Organisations

Urban Living, Family Housing Association (Birmingham) and Birmingham City Council

Summary

Summerfield, in Ladywood was recognised as one of the most deprived districts in Birmingham and fell within the top 3 per cent in the UK.

Summerfield Eco-neighbourhood was designed not only to raise environmental awareness but also to promote sustainability and deliver tangible benefits to residents by improving the appearance of the area, the project was set up primarily to alleviate fuel poverty and reduce energy bills.  Summerfield Residents Group began tackling issues in their area such as anti-social behaviour, waste management, overcrowding and the difficulty of heating the characteristic Victorian housing stock; Urban Living and partners joined in, eventually forming the largest eco-project of its kind in the UK. 

The challenges

Challenges include low household incomes, overcrowding, parking issues, high population turnover and low levels of home ownership.  The area was associated with crime and anti-social behaviour.

The characteristic Victorian housing stock proved difficult to heat, giving rise to residents' concerns about rising fuel bills.

A significant number of residents were considered to be living in fuel poverty.

 

The solutions 

£2.3 million programme to regenerate and transform Summerfield.

The Summerfield Eco project comprised a number of measures designed to raise awareness of green issues and reduce the residents' overall environmental impact. These included:

• Between February 2007 and March 2008, installed solar panels and low-energy heating at 329 homes completely free of charge for those with an annual household income of up to £21,000.
• Created an 'eco show home' (completed June 2006) which subsequently inspired the de-conversion of five further Victorian houses into 4-6 bed eco homes featuring green technologies such as sun pipes, solar panels and energy-efficient heat pumps. Recycled denim and wool have been used to ensure the valuable heat is not lost through poor insulation, whilst the kitchens are made from 100 per cent recycled materials.
• Building an 'eco office' to demonstrating to residents how technologies can be adapted to create an eco-friendly work space.
• Distributing eco packs containing energy efficiency information to over 500 households.
• Working with children from six local schools as part of Birmingham City Council's Housing Education.
• Initiative partnership to create an 'eco' website, radio station and energy advice DVDs and a documentary film.
• Commissioning contractors to provide 20 trainee placements for unemployed locals.
• Replacing paving; tidying gardens; repairing fences/ walls and gates to improve the overall look and character of the area.
• Twenty Summerfield households are now participating in a European Social Fund (ESF). project - Digital Environment Home Energy Management System (DEHEMS) testing out cutting-edge smart meter technology and giving feedback to help develop a user-friendly product, as well as increasing their own understanding about how to reduce their energy consumption and cut fuel bills. (30 households in South Lozells are also about to take part in stage 2 of this project).

A number of steps have been taken to ensure the project's ongoing success and to create a lasting legacy.
These include:

• Residents and other partners are working to develop an Eco neighbourhood charter to underpin the scheme
• Installing cutting-edge 'smart' meter technology in 20 Summerfeld households to test out the technology and help develop user-friendly smart meter equipment as well as increase resident's understanding about energy usage, how to reduce energy consumption and cut fuel bills.
• Ongoing partnership working in Summerfield - residents and partner agencies
• Partners considering how to respond to feedback from independent report by Sheffield Hallam University
• Good practice and lessons learnt have helped to shape similar projects in South Lozells and Smethwick
• Setting up an eco news website and eco radio website. Visit: www.eco-radio.co.uk and www.tntnews.co.uk for more information.
• In terms of the solar panels, thanks to their simple, durable nature, minimal upkeep is required.

The result

• To date, approximately two thousand visitors have come to see Summerfield and the Eco office.
• It is estimated fuel bills are being reduced by at least £150 per year per household and the eco-technology produces on average 60 per cent of the hot water used by each household per year.
• Residents' attitudes to green issues have been transformed with an amazing 75% saying they've changed how they think about energy.
• Residents' behavior has been positively influenced by the scheme with many changing their lifestyle habits in order to be eco-friendly and to take full advantage of the energy-savings on offer. For example, many people reported they had begun taking their showers in the evening, rather than the morning, when the water heated by the sun throughout the day was still hot.
• Further added-value spin offs include: the training placements for local unemployed residents resulting in valuable work experience as well as one resident gaining full-time employment and creating a genuinely sustainable community.
• The large 'eco' family homes have helped alleviate the problem of high resident turnover.
• Used as a model of best practice, inspiring other areas regionally and nationally. For example, the project's methodology is already being applied to other areas within the Pathfinder such as Lozells in Birmingham and Smethwick in Sandwell.
• 1,500 homes have benefitted from 'green' information packs including free energy-saving lightbulbs.
• 26 homes have been fitted with solar panel hot water systems and energy-efficient boilers.

• 75 local households (all tenures) have had Green Doctor / Home Energy advisor visits. Funding from Urban Living has also created the opportunity for five trainees to receive paid job placements.

Learning points

• The negative perceptions of the area have been tackled through resident-hosted good practice tours round the area which 2,000 visitors participated in.

"It's... exciting to be living in an eco-neighbourhood. It distinguishes you...we were living in a nondescript area - now we have got this identity, and a logo and residents charter."

"We are so fortunate. I don't know how they chose it but we are so lucky. I've noticed so many solar panels on people's roofs all over the place although it didn't happen at once and some people were not sure about whether to do it or not. Gradually people took it on board."

"It's good that everyone is trying to do their bit. My daughter's school are quite into all that as well and she says 'you can't put that into the bin, you've got to recycle it,' so we recycle everything now.'

Residents' comments

SWM comment

Sustainability of this area has been hugely improved through this project not only through the retrofitting of houses but also the changes in attitudes and behaviour of residents and visitors. 

Contact

For more information please go to the Family Housing Association (FHA) website.

Alternatively look at this RegenWM case study for further details.