Worthing Homes celebrated the opening of a very special show home at Cambourne Court, Shelley Road in Worthing last week.
The show home is the first of 159 occupied homes to be given the ‘Relish™’ treatment for phase 2; it will be used as an advice and education centre for residents, contractors and advisers who will be working on a sensible low cost carbon refurbishment programme over the next 12 months.
Relish™, which stands for ‘Residents 4 Low Impact Sustainable Homes’, is a programme designed to drive down energy costs, reduce household fuel bills and environmental impact. It has already won two national sustainability awards and has been recognised as an innovation in practice project by Constructing Excellence.
The opening of the show home coincided with the publishing of the first phase pilot study which shows that by following some simple, low cost principles, households can reduce their energy consumption by at least 20%.
Tim Loughton, MP for East Worthing and Shoreham is enthusiastic and a supporter of the initiative. Having viewed some of the innovations, such as a ‘power down’ switch by the front door which ensures all non essential lights and appliances are switched off before you go out, Tim spoke about his own first hand experience.
Tim participated in Channel 4’s ‘Tower Block of Commons’ series and spent a week living in social housing in Birmingham: “Living with people who are often in desperate circumstances brings it home to you how important it is that landlords care about the accommodation they provide. If you live in a drafty, damp flat with an energy hungry immersion heater, much of your income will be spent on keeping warm. Relish™ addresses these challenges – showing every landlord how to refurbish in both an affordable and sensible way. And once again, it happened here in Worthing, first!”
For more information on Relish™, visit the Relish™ website where the first phase report is available to download.
If you would like to book an appointment to view the show home and learn more about how to reduce your energy bills, please contact us using the details below.