Do we need all of our mains sockets on 240 volts? Can warmth be psychologically affected by the colour of wall paint, and are UPVc windows better than wood?
These are the types of questions Salford University is aiming to answer as it looks to trial new energy efficient technologies in a terrace house built inside a laboratory.
The university has built a 1920s Victorian-style two-up, two-down – thought to represent around 20% of the UK’s housing stock – to test new energy efficient technologies and the behavior of occupants.
The Energy House is a response to the UK’s retrofit challenge. According to statistics released by Communities and Local Government, around 70% of the country's residential property will still be inhabited in 2050 and 91% of all UK homes would benefit substantially from improvements in energy efficiency. Improved insulation and boiler upgrades alone could see heating emissions reduced by 22%.
Despite social housing being seen as a key area to ramp up retrofit activity, the university recently revealed that 50% of Registered Housing Providers do not yet have a retrofit plan.
However, the policy tide is turning, with the Government wanting to leap from the bottom to the top of the European efficiency league. Energy minister Greg Barker, who attended the two-day conference, says that local authorities and housing associations will play a key part in its flagship Green Deal, which will allow tenants and homeowners to pay for energy-efficient improvements through the savings on their energy bills.
Temperature control
Inside the laboratory the university can even change the weather – wind, rain, snow, not the sun, which it will use UV lights to simulate – with temperatures in the environmental chamber able to drop to as low as -6 degrees.
Rain and wind can also hit the house at different speeds, as researchers say that brick’s performance is affected by different conditions. Solar panels will also be fitted on to the tiled roof.
Inspecting the house at its official unveiling at the end of January at the University of Salford Retrofit conference is quite something. All the materials – from the brick to the slate have been reclaimed – except the timbers inside.
Lime mortar has been used to set the familiar red brick, the doors – front and back – don’t shut properly and have gaps exposing drafts, as do the rickety single-glazed sash windows. There are no curtains and the house has no insulation.
“In short,” says energy hub manager Steve Waterworth, “the house is leaking energy.
“We wanted to construct the house as it would have been then and leave it in its rawest form,” he says, “so we can see how it behaves and where the energy goes. We’ll be monitoring temperature, pressure, air flow and humidity and will be producing 3D image maps of each room to see where everything is going.”
The house represents the stock that is the hardest to treat – i.e. no cavity walls with which to pack with insulation.
The university has even built half a house next door so they can monitor the heat output through the party wall. Researchers want to know if tenants have got their heating on high whether they are heating the living room next door.
As well as trialing the relationship between different products and controls within and outside the house, such as double glazed windows, internal/external cladding and insulation, a key part of the analysis and modeling will be the behavior of occupants.
Psychologists will work alongside physicists to study how people use energy. “Hands up who recycled something this week,” asks Mr Waterworth, who turns to delegates on the guided tour? A spate of hands shoot up behind me. “Who’s saved energy this week?” Everybody looks at each with no hands raised. And here in lies one of the challenges. “Ten years ago nobody recycled,” says Waterworth. Now, everybody does. How can we make that work for reducing energy in the home?”
He adds psychologists will also evaluate behaviour in the home. “How would you feel looking at a thermometer giving a warm reading in a cold room? Warm or cold,” asks Mr Waterworth? He says some of the products being trialled include taps that reduce the water pressure, a Dulux reflective paint on the walls, allowing the wattage of light bulbs in the room to be reduced, as light would reflect off the paint. Other products include environmental controls supplier Dyer’s ‘Solis’ system, which controls windows wirelessly using solar power.
The research team intends to trial a number of different types of occupants in the house for around 12 hours at a time, from families to students, single occupants to couples.
Currently, there is a gas boiler in the house but the heating can and will change, depending on what the team wishes to test. Water, electricity and gas will all be monitored as researchers believe that a lot of heat is being lost in the home through hot water.
Green Deal
After a tour of the house Energy minister Greg Barker and I sit in the living room of the terrace to discuss the role of housing associations and tenants in the green deal.
The minister said the “sky is the limit” for housing associations and local authorities to become Green Deal providers themselves – accessing private finance and carrying out the work for tenants – or to form partnerships with utility companies to deliver a roll out.
“Some could not only retrofit their own stock but could provide it to the private rented sector,” he told 24housing magazine. “Housing associations have already taken good steps in bringing their stock up to a decent standard, but we need to get them to go further. The Green Deal will provide them with the finance to do that.”
He also alleviated concerns by those who have pointed out that social tenants often fall out of the Green Deal’s golden rule, i.e. the savings created by the energy efficiency measures have to be greater than the cost of paying for the retrofit over 25 years. This is because such tenants could be classed as fuel poor and won’t be using much energy in the first place.
Mr Barker said: “There will be many homes that won’t be covered by a ‘Pay as you Save model’ e.g. those that are fuel poor, because you can’t make savings on your energy bill if you’re not actually using much in the first place. We recognise that, so in addition to the Green Deal, there will also be an ongoing new energy obligation on utility companies which we believe will be worth well in excess of £1bn per annum and will be rolled out over a decade.”
He also indicated that the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive, which was crucially spared the axe in last year’s spending review, could be used alongside the Green Deal to improve a home’s energy efficiency.
He said: “We are looking at ways when someone has had a Green Deal review of their home, it lists the measures they are able to do. It should also include the opportunities for renewable heat and microgeneration. What we don't want is to put microgeneration or renewable heat technologies into leaky homes. Making your home heat tight first really ought to be the prerequisite before you then go on to the more microgeneration.”
The entire facility at Salford has been geared up to allow the university to knock down the terrace and start again by building another style of property for testing. But for the next three years, we can expect the publication of vital research, says Professor Martin Hall, the university’s vice chancellor. “This project is exciting because retrofitting old properties to make them as carbon-efficient as possible will require detailed and robust research,” he says.
“If there is to be a step change in the UK to achieve our carbon emission reduction targets, it is essential decision-makers have sound evidence to ensure products are tested before being tried out in real homes.”
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care.
"Urban Energy is an innovative organisation specialising in the financing, design and installation of economic and environmentally sound solar powered energy systems for commercial property (private and public) and domestic dwellings. Our expertise in the field of Government incentive schemes and solar power products will provide individuals and organisations with an excellent opportunity to overcome capital cost barriers, save money on energy bills, increase profit margins, increase the value of their property and reduce their carbon footprint.
Urban Energy employ the very best engineers in this field, all of which are fully qualified, MCS certified and Government approved to carry out this task, complying with strict guidelines and are members of the Solar Trade Association.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
Showing posts with label Carbon Emission Reduction Targets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carbon Emission Reduction Targets. Show all posts
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Sunday, 21 February 2010
OFGEM WARNS HOUSEHOLDS COULD FACE 25% INCREASE TO BILLS IN 10 YEARS TIME!
In a report out 03.02.2010, Ofgem has given its biggest indication yet that bills will rise dramatically over the next decade. It has announced that bills could rise by up to 25% in the next ten years due to factors such as the global financial crisis, tough environmental targets and increasing gas import dependency. Based on today’s average bill size of £1,239, this will mean bills could hit £1,549 in ten year’s time[1].
However, uSwitch.com, the independent price comparison and switching service, is warning that Ofgem could be underestimating the increases. It says that ongoing pricing trends coupled with required investment could see household energy bills hit as high as £4,733 a year by 2020[2], nearly four times higher than they are today. The additional cost of investment alone is expected to add £548 a year onto household bills[2].
Ann Robinson, Director of Consumer Policy at uSwitch, says: “Today’s report is one of many recent announcements from Ofgem, which have gradually lifted the lid on what household energy bills are expected to look like in the future. When you add the pieces together it’s a big wake-up call and raises serious concerns about the ongoing affordability of our energy. While investment in the sector is crucial, there can be no doubt that it will have a big impact on household energy bills and this has to be explained to consumers now so that they can start taking action to protect themselves in the future.
"The £5,000 a year energy bill may seem like an outside possibility, but we have to remember that energy bills doubled in the last five years alone and that the huge investment needed to keep the lights on in Britain will alone add £548 a year onto our bills. The fact is we are entering a new era of high cost energy and households will have to adapt their behaviour accordingly by paying the lowest possible price for their energy and reducing the amount they use.”
£233.5 billion investment – what are the key costs?[2]
Renewable energy generation - £112.5 billion
Power plants (including gas-fired, coal-fired and nuclear) - £52.1 billion
Upgrading pipes, networks and gas storage - £39.8 billion
Roll-out of smart metering - £13.4 billion
Carbon emissions reduction target - £15.7 billion
Total = £233.5 billion
Reference: uSwitch.com
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care”.
The Feed in Tariff (FiT) announced earlier this month, for introduction in April 2010, means that every household installing solar electric photovoltaic (PV) panels could earn over £1000/year for 25 years.
These new tariffs will allow people to turn their homes into mini-power stations. For householders who have a south-facing roof, PV panels are really worth looking at. Not only are they a sound financial investment (approx.10% return on your initial investment), they will also allow you to do your part in tackling climate change.
0% interest instalment payment program available for domestic solar thermal and photovoltaic systems.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
1. Based on a medium user consuming 3,300 kWh electricity and 20,500 kWh gas, on a standard plan, paying on receipt of bill with bill sizes averaged across all regions. In 2004, the average annual dual fuel bill was £580. At present it is £1,239.
2. Based on a medium user consuming 3,300 kWh electricity and 20,500 kWh gas, on a standard plan, paying on receipt of bill with bill sizes averaged across all regions. The £4,733 figure takes into account pricing trends over the last 5 years and investment costs required by the energy industry. According to Ernst & Young, reported in The Times on Monday 25th May, 2009 in an article written by Robin Pagnamenta, these investment costs total £233.5 billion and imply a total bill of £8,977 or £598 a year for the next 15 years for every household. However, Ernst & Young factored in £112.5 billion for renewable generation and £15.7 billion of Carbon Emission Reduction Targets (CERT) investment. Consumers are already contributing for these items on their bills: according to Ofgem, in 2006/07, the Renewable Obligation cost each domestic consumer about £10 a year plus, under the CERT scheme we are all paying an extra £19 a year on gas and £18 on electricity to provide funding to support energy efficiency measures. Therefore, to reflect these costs across all domestic energy accounts we have added £548 a year onto household energy bills instead of the £598 a year predicted by Ernst & Young.
However, uSwitch.com, the independent price comparison and switching service, is warning that Ofgem could be underestimating the increases. It says that ongoing pricing trends coupled with required investment could see household energy bills hit as high as £4,733 a year by 2020[2], nearly four times higher than they are today. The additional cost of investment alone is expected to add £548 a year onto household bills[2].
Ann Robinson, Director of Consumer Policy at uSwitch, says: “Today’s report is one of many recent announcements from Ofgem, which have gradually lifted the lid on what household energy bills are expected to look like in the future. When you add the pieces together it’s a big wake-up call and raises serious concerns about the ongoing affordability of our energy. While investment in the sector is crucial, there can be no doubt that it will have a big impact on household energy bills and this has to be explained to consumers now so that they can start taking action to protect themselves in the future.
"The £5,000 a year energy bill may seem like an outside possibility, but we have to remember that energy bills doubled in the last five years alone and that the huge investment needed to keep the lights on in Britain will alone add £548 a year onto our bills. The fact is we are entering a new era of high cost energy and households will have to adapt their behaviour accordingly by paying the lowest possible price for their energy and reducing the amount they use.”
£233.5 billion investment – what are the key costs?[2]
Renewable energy generation - £112.5 billion
Power plants (including gas-fired, coal-fired and nuclear) - £52.1 billion
Upgrading pipes, networks and gas storage - £39.8 billion
Roll-out of smart metering - £13.4 billion
Carbon emissions reduction target - £15.7 billion
Total = £233.5 billion
Reference: uSwitch.com
URBAN ENERGY
Our mission: “To provide and install, sustainable, world class, clean energy products with the highest level of service and care”.
The Feed in Tariff (FiT) announced earlier this month, for introduction in April 2010, means that every household installing solar electric photovoltaic (PV) panels could earn over £1000/year for 25 years.
These new tariffs will allow people to turn their homes into mini-power stations. For householders who have a south-facing roof, PV panels are really worth looking at. Not only are they a sound financial investment (approx.10% return on your initial investment), they will also allow you to do your part in tackling climate change.
0% interest instalment payment program available for domestic solar thermal and photovoltaic systems.
For further information about Urban Energy products and services:
Call: 0800 232 1624
Email: info@urbanenergy.org.uk
Website: http://www.urbanenergy.org.uk/
1. Based on a medium user consuming 3,300 kWh electricity and 20,500 kWh gas, on a standard plan, paying on receipt of bill with bill sizes averaged across all regions. In 2004, the average annual dual fuel bill was £580. At present it is £1,239.
2. Based on a medium user consuming 3,300 kWh electricity and 20,500 kWh gas, on a standard plan, paying on receipt of bill with bill sizes averaged across all regions. The £4,733 figure takes into account pricing trends over the last 5 years and investment costs required by the energy industry. According to Ernst & Young, reported in The Times on Monday 25th May, 2009 in an article written by Robin Pagnamenta, these investment costs total £233.5 billion and imply a total bill of £8,977 or £598 a year for the next 15 years for every household. However, Ernst & Young factored in £112.5 billion for renewable generation and £15.7 billion of Carbon Emission Reduction Targets (CERT) investment. Consumers are already contributing for these items on their bills: according to Ofgem, in 2006/07, the Renewable Obligation cost each domestic consumer about £10 a year plus, under the CERT scheme we are all paying an extra £19 a year on gas and £18 on electricity to provide funding to support energy efficiency measures. Therefore, to reflect these costs across all domestic energy accounts we have added £548 a year onto household energy bills instead of the £598 a year predicted by Ernst & Young.
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