New An Camas Mor homes will reduce heating costs, claim
Families who move to the proposed An Camas Mor new town could be £700 a year a year better off because of lower heating costs thanks to lessons learned by the developers, it has been claimed.
Springfield Properties are part of a Government sponsored housing innovation project which has been trialling various ways of reducing energy bills in future house designs.
Tom Leggeat, Springfield's partnership director said: "Currently new homes are 73% more energy efficient than older properties.
"That means a saving of between £500 and £700 a year for an average family home. And this housing innovation project is helping us to find ways of reducing that figure even further."
Houses in the future will have to meet low carbon targets designed to encourage house builders to include energy efficiency measures in their homes.
By 2016 Scottish Government regulation aims to deliver zero carbon homes. And with energy prices continuing to rise, more emphasis is being placed on designs which help reduce consumption and make homes more efficient.
An Camas Mor could eventually become home to up to 4,000 people over the River Spey from Aviemore.
The development is being delayed by an appeal against a decision in the Court of Sessions to the allocation of the site and other areas proposed for large scale housing in the Cairngorms National Park's Local Plan.
A Springfield Properties spokesman said: "Everything in the houses has been considered in the drive to make the homes more sustainable - from the construction materials used to higher standards of insulation.
"Each house has been considered individually so that the layout and orientation can contribute to maximising energy efficiency by reducing heat loss and taking advantage of passive solar heating.
The developers behind An Camas Mor have said the new homes will help address the shortage of affordable accommodation in the Aviemore area by providing low cost affordable housing for rent and to buy.
Up to eighty homes in the first 200 will come into this category.
The Highland Small Communities Housing Trust is currently conducting a survey to assess demand for affordable housing in the Aviemore area.
An Camas Mòr has been recognised by the Scottish Government as an exemplar in its Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative.
