Solartwin solar water heating panels will soon give residents of a new green housing development in South Birmingham, England, lower energy bills thanks to their unique innovative heating system.

175 new south facing eco homes, part of a £25 million social housing project at Lower Shenley will be fitted with Solartwin’s innovative polymer solar panels which will collect energy from the sun, thus saving on more expensive and polluting forms of heating.

The solar thermal panels come from a Chester company, Solar Twin Ltd, a renewable energy business who specialise in bringing zero carbon and innovative energy technologies to the mainstream market. The solar panels are large enough to provide 30-70% of each home’s hot water for washing and bathing in a year.

Solartwin’s solar hot water heating systems will operate even during power cuts using a unique “zero carbon design” system which has twice won awards from UK’s Department of Department of Trade and Industry. Zero carbon means that mains electricity is not used to run the solar pumps in the system. Instead solar electricity, which will also be generated on site, will power all of the panel’s water pumping needs.

All the properties are to be built with ‘green’ specifications and have spectacular sun spaces, such as two storey conservatories that insulate and provide warmth to the homes, as well as providing an extra room. Other innovative homes are earth sheltered and have high insulation levels, again, again minimising energy bills.

The former fifties and sixties houses and flats were demolished a year ago and contractor, Kier PH has now tarted work on site. The last of the homes will be completed in Summer 2010.

Hitesh Champaneri, of Bournville Village Trust said: “Bournville brings the George Cadbury philosophy of quality and social responsibility to all its regeneration projects and sustainability is part of his legacy. We first used solar panels in the early 1980’s and in Lower Shenley we are continuing our interest in this innovative technology as a means of helping to arrest global warming. We selected the Solartwin technology because the zero carbon system delivers improved sustainability compared with other types of solar systems. Practically, the technology dispenses with the need to have a mains electrician there at installation.”

Mr Dave Houston, Contracts Manager at Solar Twin Ltd commented: “I’m delighted that zero carbon solar water heating systems have been specified for Bournville. The organisation chose to use our system despite the fact that our innovative technology is outside the UK’s standard grant eligible solar systems on the basis of a technicality which is increasingly being recognised as spurious.

“Simple, innovative solar thermal systems such as Solartwin are now becoming mainstream. This is not just good news for future residents in Shenley, it is also great news for the environment and for potential jobs and investment in this rapidly growing zero carbon solar heating sector.”

Bournville Village Trust was established in December 1900 by George Cadbury to provide a community of decent homes for working men and women.

Bournville in South Birmingham covers 1000 acres, nearly eight thousand dwellings and is managed by the Trust. The Trust has also developed two new urban villages in inner city Birmingham at Bordesley and Bloomsbury, Nechells. A third is planned for Lightmoor in Telford. The Trust also owns and manages housing schemes in Redditch, as well as over 500 properties in Shropshire. It is a registered charity which puts quality of life for its residents at the heart of its mission for the future.

For further information please contact Hitesh Champaneri, Bournville Village Trust on tel. no. 0121 472 3831 or SC Public Relations, tel. no. 0121 240 3434, mobile no. 07768 178065.