A HUDDERSFIELD cul-de-sac will become the site of the largest green energy heating system in the country.

Work began yesterday on ground source heat pumps at Fernside Close in Almondbury.

The pioneering green technology will provide cheap energy to 150 council homes on the cul-de-sac.

Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing (KNH) is spending £1.6m on the plan, which involves drilling holes 80 metres down and installing pipes.

Water will be pumped round the pipes, picking up natural heat from deep beneath the ground and taking it to radiators and boilers in homes on Fernside Close.

KNH chief executive Simon Rogers said yesterday: “To our knowledge, this is the biggest single ground source heat pump project undertaken.”

“Tackling fuel poverty is one of KNH’s key priorities but so too is reducing the overall carbon footprint in Kirklees, and this scheme indicates just how committed we are to investing in renewable energy.”

Clr Shabir Pandor, the council’s Cabinet member for housing added: “This project is an important addition to the way we use renewable energy in Kirklees.

“The work of partners like KNH is vital to helping the council reduce its carbon footprint and tackle fuel poverty. Working together, we can make a real difference.”

Kirklees Mayor Clr Julie Stewart-Turner officially opened the work yesterday morning.

Energy company E-On is the main contractor for the project, working with the council’s Building Services and drilling company Regenesis.

KNH plans to spend a further £13m on similar heating schemes in the next five years.

Ground source heat pumps are a cheap way of heating homes, providing £3.50 of heat for every £1 spent on electricity to pump the water along the pipes.

KNH also plans to use the solar panels on Fernside Close to run the pumps on sunny days, effectively providing free energy.

The new pumps will cut customers’ energy bills by at least a third, provide much more efficient heating systems and reduce carbon emissions by two-thirds.