Energy-saving devices to be tested in new flats

A block of Housing Authority apartments under construction in Birkirkara is to be used as a test case for the use of energy-saving devices and for the drawing up of energy-saving guidelines for the building industry.

The block, situated along the Birkirkara bypass, will consist of 10 three-bedroomed apartments, 12 garages and a showroom.

Social Policy Minister Lawrence Gonzi said the project confirmed the government's commitment to promoting innovative measures that made the best possible use of natural resources and reduced harm to the environment.

On other authority projects, he said 125 units located in blocks in different localities, costing Lm3.6 million, would be allocated in spring.

The authority aims to allocate Lm7 million worth of units this year.

The parliamentary secretary in the Home Affairs Ministry, George Pullicino, said the Birkirkara block's energy-saving measures would include solar water heating for domestic hot water requirements and a solar energy system providing electricity for artificial lighting.

Energy-saving guidelines would in time be issued to the building industry, he said.

Housing Authority chairman Marisa Micallef Leyson said the occupants of such blocks, mainly married couples, would have to be prepared to respect environment-friendly measures.

Some Lm22,000 will be spent on energy-saving measures in the Birkirkara block.

The apartments, which average 110 square metres, will be sold at the subsidised rate of about Lm23,000, down from the original cost of Lm34,000.