Austin House Walsall eco tower block with Solar PV , West Midlands , England , UK WS4 2AF

A prominent tower block on the Walsall skyline is being stylishly transformed through design and technology to the tune of more than £3million. Innovative Midlands housing provider whg will make a bold design statement of dated Austin House while cutting residents’ fuel bills and carbon footprint. Carbon savings for the project over 25 years are estimated at 2, 340 tonnes while customers can expect to save around a third on energy bills. The leading landlord is working in partnership with British Gas on the landmark project, which is part funded by the national Community Energy Savings Programme (CESP). A series of internal and external work will take place as part of the radical retrofit. Chameleon boards that change colour depending on the time of day, view point and exposure to sunlight will be fitted down two aspects of the high rise block, which looms large on a hill in the Butts. As well as introducing colour and interest to the building, the boards will provide 406 square metres of insulation. 248 photo voltaic panels will be fixed to a south facing external wall to harness solar power and generate electricity for the communal lighting and lifts. Heat will be extracted from the ground and pumped into Austin House to power a new heating and hot water system. This will replace the inefficient electric storage heaters to give residents more control over the temperature of their flat and the water they use.