News - General News

The Demonstration House, built and sponsored by Cassadian Homes (Bicester) Ltd in conjunction with P3Eco, is formally opened on Wednesday 25 May 2011, by local MP for North Oxfordshire, Tony Baldry. 

This exciting new property is not a show house, but a building that showcases the very latest in green technologies.  Members of the public will be able to visit the building and learn how a greener home can save money and help the environment.   Staff supporting the Eco Bicester project from Cherwell District Council and P3Estates will be based in the house.  They will be available to help the public understand the eco features of the Demonstrator Building and explain its role in the wider Eco Bicester project.

The building will be open to the public Monday, Wednesday and Friday 12PM – 4PM and is situated in the grounds of Garth Park, Launton Road, Bicester. It is anticipated that opening hours will be extended to weekends and evenings in the future, allowing as many people as possible to visit this unique building. 

“The opening of the Demonstration Building marks an important point in the Bicester Eco Project,” said Tony Baldry, MP.  “In using a combination of green features and technologies something different and genuinely revolutionary and evolutionary in character and design has been created. The completion of the building has really set the Bicester Eco Town project on its way to becoming a national and indeed international exemplar of how to build low carbon sustainable housing.” 

The Building contains some of the following green features and technologies:

• Timber Frame provided by Code 4 sourced from sustainable forests
• Concrete foundations provided by Ardent Contractors – the concrete mix was produced using recycled aggregates
• External stone cladding provided by Bekstone – produced using reclaimed and secondary aggregates, recycled water and 100% renewable energy
• Rain water harvesting provided by Rainwater Harvesting Ltd – rain water will be collected from the roof of the building and stored below ground for use in lavatories and washing machines
• Exceptional insulation provided by Masonite
• Triple glazed windows and external doors provided by Munster Joinery
• Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) by Genvex provided by Total Home Environment  – the building will have an air-tightness of more than 10 ten times the level of current building standards
• Air source heat pump water heater by Genvex provided by Total Home Environment
• Solar photovoltaic panels provided by Sundial Solar converting light into electricity
• LED and low energy lighting  provided by Jonathan Coles
• White goods provided by AEG to the very latest energy saving standards
• Smart Meter provided by EML Electricals – this will provide real time information on household energy consumption
• Grey water harvesting system provided by CME Ltd
• ‘Real Time’ Travel information display provided by Vix Technology
• Recycled PVC flooring provided by Karndean through Carpet Trader, Bicester
• Cutting edge energy saving lightbulb provided by Zeta plus low voltage display board and information screen

Ian Inshaw, Chairman of P3Eco, Bicester, said: “The completion of the Demonstrator Building is the first major step in creating a new Eco Bicester.  We are delighted to welcome Tony Baldry MP here today as he has been a great supporter of the project from the outset.  The opening of this unique building marks a key milestone in the NW Bicester Eco Development. 

“This project, together with the community centre, currently under construction at the Church of the Immaculate Conception – and being built at cost – display the initial real benefits that the NW Bicester eco development will bring to Bicester.”

Government funding has allowed the Eco Bicester project to start to provide a range of initiatives which will benefit the whole town.   These include a subsidised insulation scheme meaning most residents can have cavity wall or loft insulation installed for £49 each.  Elsewhere in Bicester, Bryan House will soon be redeveloped providing a combination of affordable housing and temporary accommodation designed to high environmental standards.

The Demonstrator Building is part of the NW Bicester Eco development.  A revised planning application was submitted to Cherwell District Council in April 2011 for the Exemplar (first phase) of this development and is currently under consideration.