The Bed ZED Project, or Beddington Zero Energy Development, is the UK's largest carbon-neutral eco-community in the UK. It was built in 2002 in Wallington, Surrey, Within the London Borough of Sutton, and comprises of 82 residential homes. The Project was developed by the Peabody Trust, a social housing initiative in London, that aims to fight poverty within the capital. The intention with this project, built in partnership with both an architect and an environmental consultancy firm, was to create a housing project that incorporates new approaches to energy conservation and sustainability, and also to build a thriving community to live within it.
window.google_render_ad(); The houses are equipped with key features, both technological and common sense - for example, designed in south facing terraces to maximise solar heat gain, that utilise renewable, and conservable, energy. A small-scale combined heat and power plant on site, powered by wood off-cuts, provides most of the energy to the estate. All buildings have a thick insulation jacket, made from recycled materials. The project has a legally-binding green transport plan, incorporating a car pool system for residents, great public transport links, and is linked in to a cycling network. For these, and many more social and environmental initiatives and technologies, Bed ZED has won many national and International awards for sustainability, design, Innovation and more. It is an inspiring achievement on a local and social level.