ENERGY HOUSE 2.0 SPOTLIGHT 43


The Future Home project designed by Bellway has a fairly traditional timber frame construction with PIR infi ll


ultimately became UK Government advice during the cost-of-living crisis. The impact on energy consumption and comfort was analysed under different boiler fl ow temperatures under identical conditions, something not possible in the fi eld. Secondly, the data provided by an experimental house is in far more detail than is possible in the fi eld. Salford Energy House has more than 200 fi xed sensors and more can be added, giving a high-level of understanding on not only whether a product performs, but also providing enough detail to understand why or, perhaps more usefully, why not. Finally, as the house is unoccupied, it can be changed and adapted with the needs of the project without inconvenience for the occupant. The approach does not replace the existing approach, both fi eld trials and bench tests are still very much part of understanding building performance. However, more than a decade of work shows us the approach has considerable power in quickly assessing the impact of retrofi t improvements.


Energy House 2.0 was conceived in light of the limitations of the Salford Energy House. The team at Energy House Labs at the University of Salford recognised that the single building archetype limited the type of work we wanted to do. Additionally, the temperature ranges and weather replication needed to better refl ect an international range. Finally, the team wanted a facility that would retain


leadership in the approach. The Energy House 2.0 concept was developed over a two-year period from 2016, with funding from the European Regional Development Fund (.35m, the Offi ce for Students, and the University of Salford contributing to this £16.5m project. As part of the launch in January 2023 the team ran a competition to identify projects that could be constructed in the two environmental chambers. In response to the emerging Future Homes Standard, two properties were put forward from the UK new build sector, Barratt and Saint Gobain, and a property from Bellway.


ABOUT THE PROPERTIES


eHome2 and The Future Home (TFH) were built within the chambers exactly as they would be built onsite. The scale of the chambers allowed lifting and ground working equipment to be brought indoors. The design principles of both homes were to ensure that multiple confi gurations of the homes could be tested. This meant that fabric systems and control changes could be switched between or entirely replaced, as the teams and their supply chains explored issues such as performance, cost, and buildability.


eHome2 developed by Saint Gobain and Barratt is an adaptation of the existing Moresby House type. The construction is a closed panel timber frame, built using a new product from Saint Gobain. It is heated by a Vaillant heat pump, via Thermaskirt perimeter


THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT BOTH HOMES HAVE A LOW PERFORMANCE GAP COMPARED WITH EXISTING HOMES


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