Pictured above: Bright idea - Darren Hackett, of
HomeZone housing association, displays a solar panel at the site of
a Green Column street light in Lichfield.
A bright idea has set the wind of change blowing through a
Staffordshire city where a housing association is investing in
energy technology and boosting its green credentials.
HomeZone Living has installed 10 wind and solar powered street
lights at key locations in and around Lichfield.
The low-maintenance lights, known as Green Columns, use only
renewable energy generated by the sun and wind. The electricity is
stored in a battery which then powers the lights when darkness
falls.
Darren Hackett, electrical inspector at HomeZone Living, said:
"This is an exciting project which offers HomeZone Living many
benefits while also reducing our reliance on traditional fossil
fuels and the environmental damage they may cause. The Green Column
is an environmentally friendly, cost saving solution to providing
amenity lighting at remote sites.
"Locations previously considered too far from the grid but which
require lighting can now be considered for a Green Column. The wind
and solar powered solution delivers free renewable energy, reducing
energy consumption and CO2 emissions. An added bonus is that they
don't need to be connected to the grid so there's no need to dig up
roads, and we can use them in areas which would have been very
difficult to light in the past."
He added: "The latest move to install six lights came following
a successful trial period involving four Green Columns. We had for
some time been looking at alternative ways of providing lighting
for areas that are hard to reach or are impractical as far as
linking to the grid network is concerned.
"Following positive comments from residents we decided to
install a further six columns to garage areas in and around
Lichfield. The planning applications were quite demanding and the
council asked for PIR detectors to be fitted to each column and a
noise report to be completed. After complying with these requests
the application was granted and the installations have been
completed. Along with the obvious benefits of no energy costs,
using new LED technology means that the servicing requirements are
relatively low and we also have complete control of the
installation work."
HomeZone is also considering retro-fitting LED lamp units to all
450 street lights in un-adopted areas.
Employees have also been boosting recycling, cutting back on
waste and conserving energy wherever possible. Last year, Homezone
sent 192 bags of shredded confidential and general paper waste for
recycling - estimated to save 73 trees. They cut the number of
reams of paper used from 2,079 to 1,645, a reduction of more than
26%. And they collected more than 1,150 kilos of used clothing
which raised £132 for charity.
HomeZone Living is committed to the provision of affordable
housing and support services, serving the communities in and around
Lichfield District and surrounding boroughs. Its key role is to
develop and manage rented, leasehold and shared ownership homes for
customers. It is dedicated to achieving high levels of customer
satisfaction through continuous service improvement and by engaging
with customers to understand their needs.
Established following stock transfer in 1997 and gaining
charitable status in April 2006, HomeZone Living is the largest
Registered Social Landlord in the district, managing around 4,500
homes, shops and garages. In March 2007, HomeZone Living became a
member of Bromford Group.