Here at Scalesceugh Hall & Villas, creating sustainable, environmentally-friendly homes is a big part of our ethos. And following the government's announcement of a ‘Green Industrial Revolution’ climate plan in November 2020 with an aim to make Britain greener and cleaner, we’re proud to be ahead of the curve with many eco-friendly and energy-efficient features in our retirement properties.
Buildings are responsible for half the world’s energy use and half of its greenhouse gas emissions. Housing alone generates 29% of emissions in the UK.
Cars also account for a significant proportion of emissions in the UK - just over 18% - whilst transport emissions as a whole account for a third of the UK total.
On the 18th November 2020, the Prime Minister announced a ‘Green Industrial Revolution’ 10-point climate plan to steer Britain towards a cleaner, low carbon future. His plan includes a focus on the design of our homes and public buildings - to make them greener, warmer and more energy-efficient - as well as accelerating our transition to the use of electric vehicles.
We’re proud to see that Scalesceugh Hall & Villas is already ahead of the curve with many eco-friendly and energy-efficient features that can allow our residents to live a lifestyle that is better for both them and our planet.
"Our ethos is about being prepared better for the future"
Owners of Scalesceugh Hall & Villas, Bruno and Dr Anita Herdeiro, had an idea of building homes for people in their later years - a flexible term as their current project is for the benefit of people aged 55 and over. They didn’t need to make their homes eco-friendly. Being situated in rural Cumbria, overlooking rolling fields and a wooded nature reserve with a river winding through, is enough of a selling point. But Anita and Bruno are on a mission to change the way we view retirement and living our later years, and being eco-friendly is a core driver of their beliefs.
Anita says: “Both Bruno and I believe strongly in sustainability. Our ethos is about being prepared better for the future, learning from the Nordic countries, which have embraced ageing as an opportunity to look at how we live our lives and how to create preventative models to address ageing and wellbeing.”
The Herdeiros travelled to Denmark, Sweden and Norway to carry out their research. They returned with a determination to put eco living at the heart of their new homes at Scalesceugh Hall & Villas.
A-rated windows measuring up to 4.8 metres have been brought over from Denmark
The trip to Denmark resulted in A-rated windows from the country being shipped across for use in the villas - huge glass panels measuring up to 4.8 metres, improving both insulation and light into the homes.
Their trip to Denmark resulted in A-rated windows from the country being shipped across for use in the villas - huge glass panels measuring up to 4.8 metres, improving both insulation and light into the homes.
Each of our villas also has an air-source heat pump. As part of the UK government’s climate plan, gas boilers will be banned in all newly built UK homes from 2023, with homeowners being incentivised to install a heat pump when their boiler is past its best.
The air source heat pumps fitted in our villas extract heat from the outside air - even when the temperature is as low as -15C. They heat our underfloor heating systems, as well as our water.
The heat pump needs electricity to run, but because it is extracting renewable heat from the environment, the heat output is greater than the electricity input. This makes them an energy efficient method of heating our homes. The heat they extract from the air is constantly being renewed naturally, saving our residents on fuel costs and reducing harmful CO2 emissions.
They also require minimal maintenance and allow a consistent temperature throughout the home. With no pockets of heat or cold, that is better for our respiratory systems.
Alongside our electrical heating systems, both our villas and apartments are fitted with an electric induction hob in the kitchens, meaning our homes are gas-free.
What’s more, all of our homes feature an underfloor heating system which are far more energy-efficient than radiators because the water doesn’t need to be so hot, further saving our residents on fuel costs.
Scalesceugh Villas are also constructed using natural timber with high insulation - sections are built off site and then put together efficiently onsite, saving time overall.
Thanks to their design, our villas use much less energy than an average UK household - 15 kwh of energy per day, in comparison to approx. 45 kwh per day.*
As well as focusing on the design of homes in the UK, the government’s climate plan also includes a ban on sales of internal combustion engine (ICE) cars and vans by 2030, 10 years ahead of the previous schedule, with a move towards the use of electric vehicles.
In order to support the increased use of electric cars, we will be installing an electric car charging point in our Spa car park which can be used by all residents and visitors.
Although the UK does have a long way to go to reach zero carbon levels, developers like Bruno and Anita are leading the steps in the right direction.
To view our last remaining villa for sale, click here.
To view our range of remaining apartments for sale in Scalesceugh Hall, click here.
*Source: www.ukpower.co.uk