TREND ANALYSIS
tested in isolation under standard laboratory conditions, but once combined into a system in a building research by BRE indicates that on site performance can be radically reduced. Additional research has also
indicated that some renewable technologies may underperform when installed due to poor quality system design and installation. This in turn adds a further level of complexity. The growing demand for high-
quality housing to meet increasingly complex design and performance standards, as well as the challenging targets for delivery and performance of housing contained in Part L of the Building Regulations and the Code for Sustainable Homes poses a significant engineering challenge.
Building houses is not what it used to be. The traditional focus on U- values and product specifications has given way to a whole house, whole system approach. A change in one aspect, such as airtightness, affects the whole performance of the dwelling. A heat pump is designed to meet a heat load, and if the building fabric is more leaky than expected, that heat load increases, leaving the user vulnerable in cold conditions to an underperforming system, and dependant on back up heating. Until recently, the house- building agenda has developed with limited detailed engagement with Building Services Engineers. However, it is these engineers who have the knowledge and skills necessary to devise systems
capable of working in harmony with the dwelling design and fabric performance. Working together as a team housebuilders, developers and building services engineers have the necessary skill sets and knowledge to deliver the energy efficient ‘zero carbon’ homes required in 2016.
www.cibse.org I
II
www.parliament.uk/documents/post/ postpn249.pdf
www.wwf.org.uk/what_we_do/press_cent re/?4799/WWFUK_resigns_from_Zero_ Carbon_Taskforce>
IIIwww.ukgbc.org IV
www.goodhomes.org.uk/downloads/ members/003-performance-gap-release- final.pdf
Above: Growing demand for cleaner, more efficient homes now goes beyond the four walls of a home | DEVELOPER & HOUSEBUILDER YEARBOOK | 2012 | 39
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