There are many housing developments being constructed around the country at the moment, but not many can offer the eco-friendly homes that are currently being built by Bacoro Development Ltd in Moate Co. Westmeath. Oak Hill housing development consists of 66 homes that are being constructed in an eco-friendly manner that will play their part in a safer environment for us all. Eco-friendly Oak Hill offers a new vision of housing. With High density insulation, solar panel water heating, wood pellet boilers and 3 and 4 bed houses, the project is unique. Bacoro director Barry Doyle spoke to the Maroon and White about the development and the impact that it will have on the Moate area in the coming years. "The development has been ongoing for the past year and each house has a solar panel water heating system that includes wood pellet boilers, which is supported by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI)," said Barry. Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), formerly the Irish Energy Centre was set up by the government in 2002 as Ireland's national energy agency. Their mission is to promote and assist the development of sustainable energy in Ireland. This includes implementing significant aspects of the Green Paper on Sustainable Energy and the National Climate Change Strategy as provided for in the National Development Plan. Wood Pellets are made up solely of natural, renewable raw material for which no forests have to be felled. Practically no sulphuric dioxide, one of the main causes of acid rain and thus of forests dying, is emitted when pellets are burned. The ash is an excellent natural fertilizer for fields and gardens. Heating with wood has many advantages. On the one hand, the fuel is mainly produced locally and, on the other hand, wood has an even CO2 balance and does not contribute towards aggravating the climatic conditions as other fossil fuels do. "One of the benefits of using this system is the major cost savings from Wood Pellet Heating that can be achieved. Pellet Stove Heating could save you €10,000 over the next 20 years, while the system is also environmentally friendly." Solar Panels, also known as "collectors", can be fitted to a building's roof. They use the sun's heat to warm water, or another fluid, which passes through the panel. The fluid is then fed to a heat store and helps provide hot water or a source of hot water for the building's central heating system. "Solar panels work throughout daylight hours, even if the sky is overcast and there is no direct sunshine, which means they can make a useful contribution even during the winter by pre-heating the water in the storage tank. Your boiler or heat pump will boost the water temperature." This is the first site of its kind in the midlands to use such technology and Barry believes that the area of Moate is a major selling point; such is location of the South Westmeath town and the features that are in the area. "The town has many benefits with the N6 dual carriageway being constructed and this will cut down travel times to Dublin and the west, while the development is close to the renowned Dunnashi Heritage Centre and it is beside Moate Golf Club. "We as a company are delighted to be involved in the development of such a vibrant and lively town like Moate. This project will help drive Moate forward and we as a company are committed to Moate." A high proportion of Bacoro Developments work takes place in Moate and the company will be involved in projects there for the next few years. With Athlone being part of the National Development Plan drawn up by the Government, Moate is set to become a part of the gateway to the west. "Moate is key to the plan as its central location between the likes of Mullingar, Tullamore and Athlone will see the town become a thriving place over the coming years." The South Westmeath team also has a thriving GAA club as Moate All Whites have produced some outstanding footballers down through the years. Their most famous son is former county star Ger Heavin who represented Westmeath for the best part of a decade and became one of the top forwards in the country. These days the club plies their trade in the intermediate ranks, but this may not be the case for too long as they are tipped to make a return to the senior grade in the very near future. If the club produced one of the best forwards in the county in the last decade, then Moate Community College can lay claim to having in their ranks, undoubtedly the best footballer of this millennium so far as All-Star Dessie Dolan teaches at the secondary school. "Moate have produced many great footballers down through the years and to have a player of Dessie Dolan's calibre teaching at the school and looking after the various GAA teams is a major plus for them." Barry is a keen follower of football and played with the renowned Clann Na nGael side that won ten Roscommon senior football championships in a row of which Barry was part of five of those successes, but is more than delighted to do business in Westmeath. Bacoro Developments look set to be part of the rise of Moate for the next few years at least and their quality homes are set to enhance the town's reputation as being a friendly and reliable place to live, while the housing developments will also help provide more players of the future for the club and who knows the next Ger Heavin or Dessie Dolan could be lining out in the All Whites' strip. Tweet

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