Energy-efficient solutions

Meeting the upcoming Future Homes Standard will likely require affordable housing providers and housebuilders to find new ways of constructing high-performing, thermally efficient homes. Coupled with the need for cost-control, speed of construction and repeatability of design, the off-site manufacture of components is also gaining momentum.

Tom Cox, Technical and Development Director at Saint-Gobain Off-Site Solutions discusses the company’s new closed panel timber solution, Thermistud™️ and how the business has combined the benefits of off-site construction with a tested structural system to offer a scalable solution for building sustainable and energy-efficient homes.

The Radfan Extra Boost is the latest model in the Radfan range, but designed with air/ground source heat pump system applications in mind.

Just as the Classic Radfan, this model helps make residents feel warmer more quickly so potentially reducing their energy bills, and reduces the conditions which promote the growth of mould.

WMS underfloor heating is proud to announce its involvement in delivering national housebuilder Bellway’s latest carbon reduction research project, The Future Home @ The University of Salford, which aims to address domestic energy efficiency challenges by putting low-carbon technologies to the test.
 
The developer’s experimental eco home has been constructed within one of two environmental chambers inside Energy House 2.0, this collaborative project between Bellway Homes and other partners, including The University of Salford, Barratt Developments and Saint-Gobain.

Energy House 2.0 is a unique £16 million research facility, part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and is playing a pivotal role in accelerating the progress towards low carbon and net zero housing design and builds.

Every project is always a combination of competing demands for budget and funding and the trade off against performance. A balance between what can be afforded today, and what will be required in the future.

The increases seen in energy prices last year have made improving the energy efficiency of homes an urgent social priority. It’s critical importance as part of Government climate change objectives is long established.

Homes make up around 14% of all of the UK’s emissions. With a commitment to cut total UK emissions by 80% relative to 1990 levels by 2050 under the Climate Change Act (2008) reducing household carbon emissions assumes critical importance.

Recent research from the Home Builders Federation (HBF) highlighted that people moving house are increasingly looking for homes that are energy efficient, giving them more certainty over fuel bills and affordability. This focus on the energy performance of our homes comes as Building Regs are updated and the industry prepares for the Future Homes Standard in 2025.

The expert speakers in the free-to-attend elemental content theatres – taking place alongside InstallerSHOW at the NEC in June – will be addressing these issues and more, shining a light on the route to net zero for built environment professionals.

George Clarke looks at the huge challenge to make existing homes zero-carbon
There are nearly 67 million people living in 25 million dwellings in Britain. In our temperate climate, all these homes need heating and hot water and they also need power to keep the lights on.
That means they need energy and that energy, most of the time, comes from fossil fuels. Things are beginning to change, but UK housing has a massive dependancy on fossil fuels.
Yet we live in a country where over 2.5 million currently live in fuel poverty.
What does the future hold for those in fuel poverty and the rest of Britain when household energy bills are predicted to increase by up to 50% from April?