A UK practitioner view of domestic energy performance measurement

There is a growing body of evidence concerning the energy efficiency performance of domestic buildings in the UK, driven by policy-based agenda, such as the need for zero carbon dioxide homes by 2016 for new build homes, and Green Deal and energy company obligation for sustainable refurbishment. While there have been a number of studies funded and results presented in this area, little work has been done to understand the drivers, practices and issues of data collection and analysis. There are a number of major building performance evaluation (BPE) studies in the UK, yet behind many of these research projects are practical issues of data loss, experimental error, data analysis variances and resident issues that are common when studies move from the actual to the living lab. In this paper the issues of domestic energy are addressed by leading BPE practitioners in the UK. They identify issues of client demands, technical failure, costs and implementation. The work provides insights of both academic and industry-based practitioners and considers not only the practicalities of building performance studies, but also implications for these types of studies in the future

Effects of latent heat storage and controls on stability and performance of a solar assisted heat pump system for domestic hot water production

Solar assisted heat pump systems have been widely applied in domestic hot water productions due to their sustainability and stability in operations. However, their performance efficiency requires further improvement using advanced technologies such as energy storage with phase change materials (PCM) and optimal system controls. Accordingly, a test rig of a new indirect solar assisted heat pump (IDXSAHP) system has been designed, built and instrumented. The IDX-SAHP system consists of three operational loops: solar thermal, solar assisted heat pump and load profile. A PCM heat exchanger tank was purposely designed and installed in the system solar thermal loop to store solar energy, when applicable, and release heat when required by the heat pump. In addition, an air cooling heat exchanger was also installed in the solar thermal loop to absorb heat from the ambient air for the heat pump. A detailed control strategy has been designed and implemented for the system for efficient operation in different modes and maintain constant load supply water temperature during an operational day. In different weather conditions of sunny and overcast, comprehensive measurements were carried out on the test rig and system structures with and without the PCM tank. Test results showed that the system could efficiently meet the daily domestic hot water demand and the PCM heat exchanger integration exerted a significant effect on system stability and performance efficiency. Quantitatively, the average COP of the IDX-SHAP system with a PCM tank could increase 6.1% and 14.0% on sunny and cloudy days respectively compared to systems without PCM tank integration

A framework of sustainable behaviours tha can be enabled through the design of neighbourhood-scale developments

The purpose of this paper is to present, and explain, the development of a framework of sustainable behaviours that can, potentially, be enabled through the design of neighbourhood-scale developments. To be sustainable, such developments need to be technically sustainable (i.e. in terms of materials, construction methods and so on) and to support behavioural sustainability by their residents. This paper focuses on the latter. Drawn from a literature review, the paper presents eight sustainable behaviours that are argued to be enabled by specific design features of neighbourhood developments. These are the following: use less energy in the home; use less water in the home; recycle waste; maintain and encourage biodiversity and ecologically important habitats; make fewer and shorter journeys by fuel inefficient modes of transport; make essential journeys by fuel efficient modes of transport; take part in local community groups, local decision making and local formal and informal social activities and use local services, amenities and businesses. Both theory and empirical evidence underpinning the claimed relationships between the design features and the eight behaviours are presented. The framework, and accompanying explanations, are offered as tools for further research, and as references for practitioners such as urban designers, architects and planners seeking some clarity on designing for behavioural sustainability at the neighbourhood scale. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment