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Bartlett researchers win Sustainable Housing Award
21 November 2008
Links:
levh.org.uk/" target="_self">Low-Energy Victorian House
A Victorian house in Camden refurbished for energy efficiency by UCL Bartlett researchers has won a Sustainable Housing Award.
Professor Robert Lowe and Dr Ian Ridley from the UCL Bartlett School of Graduate Studies played a major part in the design and implementation of the energy-efficient refurbishment measures, which is expected to lead to an 80% drop in the house's carbon emissions. The researchers were funded by UrbanBuzz, a UCL-led knowledge-exchange sustainable communities programme.
The carbon-saving 'EcoHome' is an experiment led by Camden Council and UCL to cut emissions from a house built in 1850 by up to four-fifths. It won the 'Low Energy Upgraded Social Housing Project of the Year' at the Sustainable Housing Awards held last week by 'Inside Housing' magazine.
Professor Lowe was involved in teaching construction workers how to make 17 St Augustine's Road as airtight as possible. Dr Ridley designed and installed a monitoring system to measure the heat and electricity used by the house, and humidity sensors to check the air quality in the home. Improvements to the house included floor, wall and roof insulation, solar UV panels, solar hot water, heat recovery ventilation and double-glazed windows. The insulation for the house was provided by Kingspan Insulation.
The carbon-saving 'EcoHome' is an experiment led by Camden Council and UCL to cut emissions from a house dating from 1850 by up to four-fifths. There are thousands of properties dating from this period in Camden, 60% of which are located in conservation areas. The project will inform the council's plans in working towards a more sustainable Camden that adapts to a growing population while protecting and enhancing the environment. The house is one of only three 'ecohomes' being monitored for energy performance in the UK.
While 17 St Augustine's Road was open to the public over the summer, over 1,500 people went to see how home improvements can improve their energy efficiency and household savings in the long run. The award judges commended the project for its comprehensive energy efficiency measures and performance monitoring, and for being publicly accessible.
Professor Tadj Oreszczyn, Head of the Bartlett School of Graduate Studies and Director of Environmental Design and Engineering, said: "The house is in a conservation area and has been refurbished to reduce carbon emissions by 80%, making it significantly better than most new houses built today. The predicted energy costs should be around £5 a week, which for a six-bedroom Victorian house - three times the size of a typical UK house - is astonishingly low.
"UCL has recently tested the house and during a typical winter day the house should only require around 3.5 kW of heat input, compared with most modern domestic boilers rated at 12 to 24 kW. Occupants will move in before Christmas and the energy performance will be monitored over a year. It is hoped that this project will lead onto further low carbon collaborations between UCL and Camden Council."
To find out more about the Low Energy Victorian House, follow the links at the top of this article.
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