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• 23 timber frame family homes
• Claims to have the largest solar power array in the country
• Green measures: pyranometers, thermometers, flow and electricity pulse meters
• Incorporates anonometer to measure wind speed

South Yorkshire Housing Association has commissioned Henley Rise, a 23-home development which considers sustainable building practices and microgeneration.

The developer claims that the scheme has the largest solar power array for homes in the country.

The green scheme

Henley Rise, in South Yorkshire, offers a range of timber frame family homes that includes an array of measuring equipment to monitor the buildings energy peformance.

The timber cladding used is FSC certified Red Cedar, taken from managed forest in Scotland.

The materials used were A Rated in the BRE Green Guide, according to the architect Roger Southworth of South Yorkshire Housing Association.

Green measures include pyranometers, thermometers, flow meters and electricity pulse meters.

Pyranometers measure solar radiation flux density (in watts per metre square) from a field of view of 180º degrees and are typically installed next to the solar panels.

Green measures include pyranometers, thermometers, flow meters and electricity pulse meters.

They measure the reponse of the solar panels to the light hitting them in situ and tell the owners how efficiently they convert the light into energy.

The scheme also has an anonometer, which measures wind speed, although wind turbines have not yet been fitted. There are plans to add a wind turbine off the building as a stand alone system, although this has not happened as yet.

The solar array consists of C21e & C21t Complete Solar Roof, designed and manufactured by Solarcentury. They catch 58,800kWh over 17 properties at 2,400kWh and 6 properties at 3,000kWh. The total thermal generation from the solar water system is 41,400kWh (23 properties at 1,800kWh).

The insulation on the houses is a combination of mineral fibre insulation in the external walls, expanded polystyrene in the floors and Kingspan Thermawall in the sloping soffits and ceilings, making for a tight thermal skin, reducing the use of heating and cooling in the buildings.

South Yorkshire Housing Association hopes to win an award with the scheme at the RIBA Yorkshire White Rose Award 2008.