Ground source energy!

New eco-friendly social homes for rent in Denbighshire, Wales, are to be heated by warmth stored 450 feet deep in rocks laid down 350 million years ago.

The first new homes built by the Council in Denbighshire in almost 30 years are being erected by Brenig Construction at Tan y Sgubor, off Henllan Street, in Denbigh, and will be among the ‘greenest’ in Wales.

The 22 properties will feature sophisticated insulation and heating drawn from deep underground where the limestone, dating from a time when the area was a warm tropical sea, is at a constant 12C.

Brenig have had nine boreholes drilled by Kensa Drilling, each between 400 and 450 feet deep but just a foot wide and housing pipes filled with a mix of water and anti-freeze feed heat exchangers which do the rest, raising that temperature to a perfect 22C in the houses with water heated to 60C.

Brenig Construction Director Bleddyn Jones said, “These 22 homes are being built to very sophisticated, energy-saving Passivhaus standards for Denbighshire County Council.

“It is a landmark scheme because these are the first homes to be built by Denbighshire council since the early 1990’s and so far it has gone very well and everything is on schedule for completion by next spring.

“The timber construction is being made off-site and assembled here but the roofs will be made on-site in Denbigh.

“It’s really good to be involved in an important project like this where everything is special and this is the third project we have had across North Wales to feature Passivhaus specifications.”

Ancient Rocks Deep Underground will Heat Next Generation Council Homes