Code Level 5 Homes in Swindon - Phase 2

A two year in-use Building Performance Evaluation study took place in two case study houses which included:

• metering, sub-metering and spot measurements.
• review of metering and sub metering arrangements, installation and testing of monitoring equipment to measure the performance of PVs, solar thermal and Exhaust Air Heat Pump (EAHP), airtightness testing, thermographic survey.
• in-use monitoring of environmental conditions.
• monitoring of internal and external environmental conditions, occupancy levels, openings usage, indoor air quality levels occupant studies and energy audit.
• initial meeting with occupants, walkthroughs and interviews, BUS questionnaire survey, activities logging, diaries, energy audit using DomEARM.

The Phase 2 study aimed to complete the picture of the overall performance of this innovative project which will then feed forward into future developments. In particular, it:

• provided information on the overall energy performance of these house types in use and the effect of user behaviour on building performance.
• established the actual performance of Hempcrete as an innovative construction material.
• studied the efficiency and robustness of all the technologies and materials used.
• generated a knowledge base of building performance for wider dissemination within the industry.

Funded by:

• Innovate UK (formally known as Technology Strategy Board)

Project Partners:

• NPS Group
• Swindon Borough Council
• Institute for Sustainability (IfS)

Funding:

• Total project value: £59,976
• Income to OBU: £45,855