Black mark for‘green’ homes

Kirklees Council is spending £90,000 to help a housing group put right problems at 22 homes in Heron Close in Ravensthorpe. Tenants have complained about roof leaks from solar panels, draughts and the breakdown of a water recycling system.

The Kirklees Community Association-owned homes were built in 2000 as a symbol of innovative green technology with grey water recycling, timber frame construction and a heat sink room using natural ventilation.

Improvement work will include removing large glass roofs and sun room windows to ease draughts; cavity insulation and new timber wall-plates. One resident said: “If this was an exercise in energy-efficiency it hasn’t worked.”