Project sees Gosport homes insulated to half electricity bills

THE next stage of regeneration in Rowner has seen 14 blocks of flats fitted with insulation that will see residents' power bills halved.

This green initiative provides the buildings in Gosport with external wall insulation and has given 235 individual homes some added warmth.

People living in the properties off Samson Close were paying nearly £2,500 a year on electricity bills because there was no wall insulation.

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Darren James, from Wall Coatings which carried out the project, said: ‘There was no insulation on the buildings and the heating costs were astronomical.

‘Some of the residents were paying up to £2,500 in electric bills. The buildings are solely electric fed as there is no gas grid in this state.’

There are no plans in place to install gas.

The project was funded by the Energy Companies Obligation as well as a contribution of £5,000 from Gosport Borough Council’s community fund. The money is given to the council by the government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change.

The insulation will provide Rowner with an energy efficient community.

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Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage said it will benefit the residents massively.

‘They will have much more disposable income and they will be spending far less on heating,’ she said.

‘This is a win-win situation.

‘Ecologically it’s great but it makes a much more pleasant living environment and actually saves residents money in their pocket.’

Rowner was originally known as the ‘concrete jungle’ and had a lot of negative stigma attached to it.

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As part of the Rowner Regeneration, old flats have been demolished and a new Tesco store was built along with other shops like Costa Coffee.

Darren said the benefits of the refurbishment of the exterior of the flats has given the community a boost.

He added: ‘People have now got pride in the area.

‘They’ve started putting out flower boxes and they’ve been cleaning the paths.

‘When visiting the area there’s no rubbish, old bikes or furniture laying around, which was what it was like around here before.’

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The residents are starting to notice the change in temperature inside their properties.

One 38-year-old, who did not want to be named, said he’s also noticing his neighbours.

‘There has been a massive improvement,’ he said.

‘It’s definitely a lot warmer and I’ve seen a lot more of my neighbours – some I didn’t even know lived here – so it’s brought the community together as well.’