Energy House 2.0, social housing and the drive to net zero

Completed in February, the University of Salford’s £16million Energy House 2.0 Laboratory is the biggest research facility of its kind. The expectation is that it will play a leading role in helping to develop low carbon homes and technology that can retrofit existing housing. It has two environmental chambers and can recreate an array of weather conditions in a controlled fashion, from -20 to 40 degrees Celsius, plus simulated rain, wind, solar radiation and snow. Each chamber is large enough for two detached houses. It is a follow-up to the first Energy House, which opened a decade ago.

What could this mean for social housing? The social housing sector accounts for approximately 17% of all homes in the UK, so it clearly has an important part to play in the reduction of emissions. Energy demand reduction is the bigger picture here; the medium-term context is the UK becoming the first major economy to commit to being net zero by 2050: a 100% reduction by that year. This will involve using whole life-cycle carbon, the Green Building Council’s Net Zero Framework, the Future Buildings Standard, and other steps on the journey involving a range of stakeholders.

A recent survey of a group of social housing landlords

“found that the majority of homes are in the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C category (A is very low energy and G is extremely high energy)…previous research in 2012 indicated that a target mid-B average corresponds with the 80% carbon reduction, which was in the Climate Change Act 2008.”

What this means is that social housing is not on track to meet the target by 2050. This is not entirely surprising: gas is still the heating source, of course, and there are no plans to transition. It is axiomatic to point out that given the huge price increases coming in April, and given the class make-up of social housing occupants, the reliance on traditional energy is clearly going to have to be addressed sooner rather than later.

Therefore, it is timely that the government has announced that 20,000 social housing properties across England will receive energy efficiency upgrades via a £179 million cash boost that will fund 69 projects. The money is part of the government’s £3.8 billion Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, which is intended to bring a significant amount of social housing stock currently below EPC C up to a higher standard.

Photo: Ben Wells

To return to Salford’s Energy House 2.0, what can it bring that can take social housing emission reduction to the next level? The answer may lie in modular housing.

Modular houses are put together as much as possible in off-site locations. There is a permanent skilled workforce, and it is significantly easier to control quality. Once the components are finished, they’re sent to the final build site to be assembled and installed. They are particularly popular in Sweden, where 45% of new homes are built by this method. The UK plans to increase its use of this method.

What is not in doubt is the quality of construction; but what about real world performance, compared to computer modelling? This is where Energy House 2.0 has stepped in and helped constructor, Step Places, with its Wigan Pier project. The work was carried out in winter over three weeks, when a 10-degree Celsius temperature variation could be guaranteed. There were four principal tests, as described in the case study:

• Air Permeability Test – This checks the air leakiness of the property which has a major effect on the energy efficiency of the building. It does this by installing a blower door which pressurises and depressurises the sealed, as built, building and the data is collected on sensors and relayed to a laptop computer.

• Thermography – this used a high-quality thermographic camera which allowed any air leaks and thermal bridges to be identified.

• Whole House Heat Loss Test, or Coheating – This used a series of thermostatically controlled heaters, fans and data collection for internal temperature and conditions, external temperature, and energy consumption.

• U Value measurements of walls, floors, and ceilings – This used a standard rig which included heat flux sensors, surface temperature and air temperature sensors.

Of course, while this illustrates that the technology is available, there aren’t version of Energy House 2.0 dotted all over the country. Furthermore, the Wigan Pier development is not social housing. But as a method, it does illuminate what could be done, with the requisite will and the investment. It’s very much case that the onus is on Registered Providers (RPs) to step up to the plate. Here is Professor Will Swann from the Energy House 2.0 project, writing with David Kemp of Procure Plus:

“there will be a requirement for…[RPs]…to manage their stock in such a way that dwellings have lower maintenance costs or are able to generate additional revenue to offset costs, emit less carbon, have lower energy costs for residents, reduce emissions of gases and particulates that contribute to poor air quality, reduce stress on the electrical network, and support the transition to a low-carbon, renewable heavy energy system.”

Essentially, like many other sectors, social housing is being encouraged to transform its business model. There already is an Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing in Scotland, which requires targets to be met for specific house types. The UK government announced late last year that it also plans to implement a long-term regulatory standard as part of its Net Zero strategy. The energy efficiency upgrades discussed above are a part of that.

Photo: Ben Wells

What is absolutely clear is that taking our understanding of how buildings work to the next level is going to be key to the success of net zero and to creating sustainable, affordable social housing. Energy House 2.0 is to be commended as a major step in the right direction.