A rented home in York built in the 1930s has been transformed into the 100th energy efficient SuperHome in the country.

The environmentally-sound semi-detached house in Temple Avenue has had a refit costing thousands of pounds to cut its carbon emissions by two thirds and reduce annual fuel bills from £542 to £167.

The SuperHome, which has been retrofitted to cut its carbon emissions by over 60 per cent, has insulated floors, ceilings and double glazing.

Its owners, the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, have further reduced carbon emissions by six per cent by putting in triple-glazing and a solar-thermal system for generating hot water.

They have also installed a mechanical heat recovery ventilation system which will remove stale air from the home, extract the heat from it and then replace it with fresh air from outside which it can preheat.

Nigel Ingram, director of development and asset management at JRHT, said: “It will be great to be living in a house which is so well insulated and doesn’t waste energy. It will be warm and comfortable in winter without the residents having to worry about high heating bills.

“Not only is it important to reduce our carbon footprint, but it is also a good investment for our residents against rising energy bills.”

Candy Spillard, of the Green Party in York, said that she would estimate the cost of such work would cost about £9,000, with the most expensive aspects being the triple glazing and the solar-thermal system for water.

The trust is currently conducting research into the most effective and practical measures for people looking to make their property more energy efficient.

The results will be available later in the year.

Jonathan Gibson, the senior development manager at the trust, said: “We know most people have to think carefully before investing in the kinds of energy-saving changes we made in the Superhome, and we are sure the assessment Leeds Metropolitan University are making of the work at Temple Avenue will help them make well-informed decisions when it is published later this year.”

The home will be open to the public by appointment. For more information visit www.superhomes.org.uk