Estimating the Background Ventilation Rates in New-Build UK Dwellings – is n50/20 appropriate?

In the UK, a rule of thumb applied to air permeability is commonly employed when estimating background ventilation rates from pressurisation test data. However, this may lead to significant errors in estimating the infiltration rates in UK new-build dwellings, resulting in poor estimation of the dwellings in-use energy and CO2 emissions, and the adoption of ventilation strategies leading to either unacceptable indoor air quality or unnecessary energy consumption. In this paper, a preliminary investigation into the applicability of the rule of thumb is undertaken. Background ventilation rates in four new-build dwellings in the UK are determined using the tracer-gas decay method and also the pressurisation (blower-door) method coupled with both the conventional n50/20 and (in the UK) q50/20 rule of thumb, and Sherman’s modified rule of thumb, which takes into account other building-related factors. The conventional method over-estimated the air-change rate in two of the dwellings and under-estimated it in the other two dwellings. The modified rule of thumb produced comparable results for two of the dwellings, but significantly underestimated the air-change rate in the other two dwellings. These results suggest that more work needs to be done to devise appropriate climate and building-related correction factors for the UK

Open Government Portfolio Public Value Assessment Tool (PVAT)

TheOpen Government Portfolio Public Value Assessment Tool (PVAT)offers government leaders an approach to making better-informed decisions about their portfolio of open government initiatives.This tool provides a structured way to assess the public value of an initiative so an agency can review the expected public value across their entire portfolio.The information generated from using this tool can support decisions about initiatives in a portfolio and how to enhance the agency\u27s public value.OverviewFAQ- Answers to frequently asked questions about the PVAT.Presentation- Original slideshow overview of the core components of the PVAT including descriptions of public value types and mechanisms.Report- Describes the project approach and methodology and presents the PVAT concepts and design. Details how CTG UAlbany and federal agencies worked together to bring the ideals of open government and the importance of public value into a practical portfolio-based tool that can inform decision making.Download the PVATThe PVAT is available for free under different licenses (select one below):Governmental- Government employees or officials for government purposes.Non-Governmental- Non-government individuals for non-commercial purposes.Commercial- Used by any individual for all for-profit purposes (You can request this by email and we will contact you about a license and further information.)Why Licensing?The PVAT is freely available to governments at all levels in the U.S. and around the world.Learn More \u3e\u3eTechnical RequirementsThis software requires Microsoft Excel with macros enabled.Project BackgroundCTG UAlbany received an Early-Concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF).This is structured to develop a conceptual resource design for open government leaders. In addition, it aims to start the development of a research proposal that lays out the most pressing questions surrounding emerging technologies, open government, and citizen services.Resource for Government Leaders- The development of the resource for open government leaders is presented hereOpen Government and Public Value: Conceptualizing a Portfolio Assessment Tool (PVAT).As part of the process, CTG UAlbany held the workshop Balancing Your Agency\u27s Open Government Portfolio: A Public Value Approach with federal open government leaders to test and refine the conceptual design of the tool.This half-day workshop was held in December 2010 at the National Academy of Public Administration in Washington, D.C.Learn More \u3e\u3eA Research Proposal- Throughout investigation and development process, CTG UAlbany has documented the most pressing questions and areas of research that are critical to the understanding and evaluation of open government.Contact CTG to Facilitate Group Planning ProcessCTG UAlbany works with governments in group planning process designed to examine initiatives being considered as part of an agency’s open government portfolio.CTG UAlbany can help consider each initiative from a stakeholder and public value perspective.This understanding of your initiatives can be used to inform decisions about an overall open government portfolio and plan. [email protected]

Bridging the domestic building fabric performance gap

It is recognized that there is often a discrepancy between the measured fabric thermal performance of dwellings as built and the predicted performance of the same dwellings and that the magnitude of this difference in performance can be quite large. This paper presents the results of a number of in-depth building fabric thermal performance tests undertaken on three case study dwellings located on two separate Passivhaus developments in the UK: one masonry cavity and the other two timber-frame. The results from the tests revealed that all the case study dwellings performed very close to that predicted. This is in contrast with other work that has been undertaken regarding the performance of the building fabric, which indicates that a very wide range of performance exists in new-build dwellings in the UK, and that the difference between the measured and predicted fabric performance can be greater than 100%. Despite the small non-random size of the sample, the results suggest that careful design coupled with the implementation of appropriate quality control systems, such as those required to attain Passivhaus Certification, may be conducive to delivering dwellings that begin to ‘bridge the gap’ between measured and predicted fabric performance

Exploring older women's confidence during route planning

In-car route guidance is automatic, requiring a minimum of time and thinking. This paper explores the use of personalised information when providing instructions for navigating a journey. We focus on older women with a lifetime of experience. Ten female participants were interviewed to elicit their comfort zone with respect to navigating in a car from their own home. Two routes were then devised for each participant, which extended beyond this comfort zone, and presented to them in two different formats. Participants then navigated the route of their least preferred format. Questionnaires and interviews were used to explore the effects of the formats on their confidence, cognitive effort and use of cognitive mapping facilities. The questionnaire data showed that the more detailed instructions supported cognitive mapping processes and the interviews suggested that this support was valued prio

Self-reported knowledge, correct knowledge and use of UK drinking guidelines among a representative sample of the English population

Aims: Promotion of lower risk drinking guidelines is a commonly used public health intervention with various purposes, including communicating alcohol consumption risks, informing drinkers' decision-making and, potentially, changing behaviour. UK drinking guidelines were revised in 2016. To inform potential promotion of the new guidelines, we aimed to examine public knowledge and use of the previous drinking guidelines, including by population subgroup. Methods: A demographically representative, cross-sectional online survey of 2100 adults living in England in July 2015 (i.e. two decades after adoption of previous guidelines and prior to introduction of new guidelines). Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions examined associations between demographic variables, alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C), smoking, and knowledge of health conditions and self-reported knowledge and use of drinking guidelines. Multinomial logistic regression examined the same set of variables in relation to accurate knowledge of drinking guidelines (underestimation, accurate-estimation, overestimation). Results: In total, 37.8% of drinkers self-reported knowing their own-gender drinking guideline, of whom 66.2% gave an accurate estimate. Compared to accurate estimation, underestimation was associated with male gender, lower education and AUDIT-C score, while overestimation was associated with smoking. Few (20.8%) reported using guidelines to monitor drinking at least sometimes. Drinking guideline use was associated with higher education, overestimating guidelines and lower AUDIT-C. Correctly endorsing a greater number of health conditions as alcohol-related was associated with self-reported knowledge of guidelines, but was not consistently associated with accurate estimation or use to monitor drinking. Conclusions: Two decades after their introduction, previous UK drinking guidelines were not well known or used by current drinkers. Those who reported using them tended to overestimate recommended daily limits. SHORT SUMMARY: We examined public knowledge and use of UK drinking guidelines just before new guidelines were released (2016). Despite previous guidelines being in place for two decades, only one in four drinkers accurately estimated these, with even fewer using guidelines to monitor drinking. Approximately 8% of drinkers overestimated maximum daily limits

New national alcohol guidelines in the UK: public awareness, understanding and behavioural intentions

Background: Alcohol consumption places a significant burden on the NHS and is an important risk factor for cancer, associated with 12 800 UK cases/year. New alcohol guidelines were published in 2016, taking into account the increasing evidence of the health harms of alcohol. Methods: A survey of the UK drinker population (n = 972) was conducted 1 week before and 1 month after the release of the guidelines to capture drinking habits, guideline awareness and intended behaviour change. Results: Overall, 71% were aware of the new alcohol guidelines, however, just 8% knew what the recommended limits were. Higher socioeconomic groups were more likely to know these limits (ABC1 = 9% versus C2DE = 4%, P = 0.009). Participants who recognized the message that alcohol causes cancer were more likely to correctly identify the new guidelines (message recognition = 12% versus no recognition = 6%, P = 0.004); and were more likely to self-report an intention to reduce their alcohol consumption (message recognition = 10% versus no recognition = 6%, P = 0.01). Conclusion: The majority of the population knew the guidelines had been updated, however, communication of the new limits needs to be improved. Raising awareness of the links between alcohol and cancer may improve understanding of alcohol guidelines and could prompt behaviour change for those motivated to reduce their alcohol consumption