41 ENERGY HOUSE 2.0 SPOTLIGHT Barratt and Bellway put to the test


Will Swan from The University of Salford describes the development of the Energy House 2.0 project to test two new build models by Barratt and Bellway, and compare different approaches to meeting the Future Homes Standard affordably.


T


he Future Homes Standard provides far more rigorous performance demands as applied to new build homes than currently. The uplift to a 75% reduction from Part L (2013), increases in airtightness, and a required understanding of overheating risk requires the industry to take a more technical approach than in previous iterations of the regulations. For many, particularly volume developers, this potentially means a tipping point away from traditionally built homes, with new fabric technologies, heating systems and controls regimes required to meet the standard. While product manufacturers have traditionally invested in research


and development, the key points of failure are often around integration issues, such as construction, installation and commissioning. These more stringent demands, focused on the performance of the building, requires the sector as a whole to consider how they might deliver homes when the regulations come into force in 2025.


The University of Salford completed the construction of Energy House 2.0 in 2022 and this provided a perfect opportunity for the industry to explore what the Future Homes Standard meant for the sector. Energy House 2.0 is a large environmental chamber, large enough to allow whole houses to be tested under controlled conditions. The conditions under control are temperature (-20C  0C and relative humidity, while large-scale rigs provide snow, wind, rain, and solar gain. This was built on the work of the Salford Energy House, constructed in 2011. This was a Victorian end-terrace built within an environmental chamber to address the retrofit challenge. The testing of whole buildings under controlled


WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76