Lessons from One Planet Communities

Some key lessons

1. Large carbon and ecological footprint reductions are only possible be creating a whole green lifestyle

2.Sales, rentals and customer satisfaction are higher than average

3. Best outcome by really embedding One Planet Living by training everyone in the principles

4. People’s lifestyle choices will always be important and be a key determinant of footprint

BedZED – prototype One Planet Community

Concepts developed in 1997 by Bill Dunster Architects, Arup and BioRegional

One Planet Living as an idea grew out of BioRegional’s monitoring of BedZED

100 homes – mixed private and social1 bed – 4 bed2500m2 commercial/community100 homes/ha core density

BedZED – statistics

BedZED Targets

• Reduce total energy demand by 60% of UK average

• Maximises passive solar gain – “zero heating”

• Produce all energy on-site from renewables – zero fossil energy development

• Reduce private car fossil fuel mileage by 50%

• Reduce car ownership from 1.6 per household to 1

• Use reclaimed and recycled materials where possible

• Source 50% of construction materials within 35 miles

• Reduce water consumption by 33% of UK average

• Black, grey and rainwater treated on site in the ‘Living Machine’

• Minimise generation of household waste and increased recycling to 60%

• 25% of households purchase local organic food

• To create aspirational homes good to live in

• Combat social isolation and create integrated community people want to live in

BedZED Targets…continued

BedZED – prototype One Planet Community• Not everything has worked, but a lot

has worked and many lessons learned• Not financially successful but ‘2nd

generation’ projects like One Brighton have been built cost effectively

Passive Design

Thermal performance

Energy Efficient Appliances

• All appliances A-rated

• Energy-efficient lighting throughout

• Water efficient appliances also save energy by saving hot water

Good environmental results – eg energy

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BedZED average (per person)

Biomass CHP not successful

• Biomass Combined Heat and Power• Emerging technology – scale too small • Replacing with wood heating system

BedZED’s local sourcing policy

• BedZED bricks sourced from 30 Km from the site

• The revenue went straight into the local economy

Local materials

• local green oak weatherboarding from urban woodlands

•52% of materials sourced within 35 miles

Reclaimed Structural Steel

Nearly 100% of structural steel used was locally reclaimed

Recycled Materials

recycled green glass sand for hard landscaping

1000 tonnes recycled crushed concrete

15% of all materials reclaimed or recycled, £4000 saving

Timber

83% of all timber was either reclaimed or FSC certified to come from well managed local forests

350m2 of reclaimed timber cost 14% less than using new timber

Healthy homes for residents

• Eco-paints• Formaldehyde

free board• Timber window

frames rather than uPVC saved nearly 800 tonnes of CO2 emissions

Water conserving appliances

• Low flush toilets use 2 - 4 litres per flush, conventional UK toilets use 9

• Saves 11,000 litres of water per person a year

• Low water washing machines, spray taps, flow regulators

• No power showers – residents happy

Water Cycle

Rainwater collection

Rainwater collection

Site Ditch

Bath

Cylinder

Cold

Living machine sewage treatment worked well technically but too expensive to run long term

Look carefully at operating and maintenance costs

Blackwater treatment

BedZED Water Consumption

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BedZED average water consumption (per person)

London average water consumption (per person)

Nonetheless very good water savingsLesson: simple things work best!

Car use

• 65% reduction in CO2 from cars, greater than 50% target

• Car ownership 1.2 cars per household

• Low car design and reduced parking created better public space

• Car club (which has spread widely in London)

Indicative capital expenditure for savings

tpa/person Capex per tonne (£)

Green Transport 1.3 265

Wood-fired CHP 1.94 1,100

Appliances 0.17 2,800

Thermal saving 0.48 19,275

PV 0.04 23,150

Not to say we shouldn’t fit PV for example but we should understand the cost-benefit equations

Waste Recycling

• 35% recycling rate; twice apartment average, but not hitting target

• Think as much about long term management

• Need more resident participation

• Green caretaker good idea

Nicole

Steve

“Nice community spirit, non-isolating”

“Social side is spectacularly

good” “

Things that worked

• People love living at BedZED! Very important

• Neighbourliness – know 20 neighbours by name

Key lessons

• Lifestyle as important as buildings• Estate Management Community &

Engagement are vital• Simple things gave largest savings

and most cost-effectively

BedZED overall

• Good resale values reflecting the high quality of life

• Approximately half environmental savings from green building design, energy efficient appliances and renewable energy

• approximately half from green lifestyle services such as car club

Sonoma Mountain Village, CaliforniaDeveloper, Codding EnterprisesApproximately 2000 homes

Housing

Work

Groceries

Restaurants

Services

Sports, gardens, gym

Shops, theater, hotel

‘5 minute living’

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Baseline LEEDPlatinum ND

Somo One Planet

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Housing

Transport

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Consumer Items

Private Services

Need whole One Planet lifestyle

One Brighton

BioRegional Quintain Ltd set up with OP principles in shareholders’ agreement

One Brighton

• Sales website not primarily about green lifestyle

• Sold as high quality 21st century lifestyle - green living is one part

Out-sold benchmarks by 50%

One Brighton Energy Services Ltd

• Established community ESCo which is owned by management company for the estate

• Purchases 100% Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin electricity and sells on the customers

• Biomass boiler for heat and district heating system

District heating system

• Has taken time to get system working properly – industry still learning but getting better!

• Energy efficient homes mean standing losses relatively high – but still good overall

One Brighton Energy Services

Green features popular

Features like roof top allotments and communal sky gardens proved very popular

Sense of place

‘We were immediately drawn to One Brighton . Living here has not disappointed.’

Amy and Ruth Anslow – One Brighton residents