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

What matters to older people with assisted living needs? A phenomenological analysis of the use and non-use of telehealth and telecare

Telehealth and telecare research has been dominated by efficacy trials. The field lacks a sophisticated theorisation of [a] what matters to older people with assisted living needs; [b] how illness affects people's capacity to use technologies; and [c] the materiality of assistive technologies. We sought to develop a phenomenologically and socio-materially informed theoretical model of assistive technology use. Forty people aged 60–98 (recruited via NHS, social care and third sector) were visited at home several times in 2011–13. Using ethnographic methods, we built a detailed picture of participants' lives, illness experiences and use (or non-use) of technologies. Data were analysed phenomenologically, drawing on the work of Heidegger, and contextualised using a structuration approach with reference to Bourdieu's notions of habitus and field. We found that participants' needs were diverse and unique. Each had multiple, mutually reinforcing impairments (e.g. tremor and visual loss and stiff hands) that were steadily worsening, culturally framed and bound up with the prospect of decline and death. They managed these conditions subjectively and experientially, appropriating or adapting technologies so as to enhance their capacity to sense and act on their world. Installed assistive technologies met few participants' needs; some devices had been abandoned and a few deliberately disabled. Successful technology arrangements were often characterised by ‘bricolage’ (pragmatic customisation, combining new with legacy devices) by the participant or someone who knew and cared about them. With few exceptions, the current generation of so-called ‘assisted living technologies’ does not assist people to live with illness. To overcome this irony, technology providers need to move beyond the goal of representing technology users informationally (e.g. as biometric data) to providing flexible components from which individuals and their carers can ‘think with things’ to improve the situated, lived experience of multi-morbidity. A radical revision of assistive technology design policy may be needed

Obtaining the heat loss coefficient of a dwelling using its heating system (integrated coheating)

© 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. This paper presents the methodology, along with some of the initial findings and observations from tests performed on two dwellings, of differing construction and form, in which a coheating test was performed using the dwelling's central heating system; this method is referred to as integrated coheating. Data obtained during the integrated coheating tests using a dwelling's heating system have been compared with data obtained during electric coheating of the same dwelling. In one instance, integrated coheating test data from one dwelling was compared to a similar adjoining control dwelling that was simultaneously subject to an electric coheating test. The results show a good agreement between the heat loss coefficients (HLC) obtained using a dwelling's own heating system and those obtained through electrical coheating. Initial analysis suggests the HLC estimate obtained from integrated coheating is likely to be more representative of how a dwelling performs in-use. The findings question the appropriateness of comparing current steady-state HLC predictions to those derived from in-use monitoring data. Integrated coheating has the potential to provide a more cost-effective and informative indication of whole house heat loss than electric coheating, as it enables in situ quantification of both fabric and heating system performance

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

Post-construction thermal testing: Some recent measurements

In the UK, it has become apparent in recent years that there is often a discrepancy between the steady-state predicted and the measured in situ thermal performance of the building fabric, with the measured in situ performance being greater than that predicted. This discrepancy or gap in the thermal performance of the building fabric is commonly referred to as the building fabric 'performance gap'. This paper presents the results and key messages obtained from undertaking a whole-building heat loss test (a coheating test) on seven new-build dwellings as part of the Technology Strategy Board's Building Performance Evaluation Programme. While the total number of dwellings involved in the work reported here is small, the results illustrate that a wide range of discrepancies in thermal performance was measured for the tested dwellings. Despite this, the results also indicate that it is possible to construct dwellings where the building fabric performs thermally more or less as predicted, thus effectively bridging the traditional building fabric performance gap that exists in mainstream housing in the UK

Does anxiety predict the use of urgent care by people with long term conditions? A systematic review with meta-analysis.

Objective: The role of anxiety in the use of urgent care in people with long term conditions is not fully understood. A systematic review was conducted with meta-analysis to examine the relationship between anxiety and future use of urgent healthcare among individuals with one of four long term conditions: diabetes; coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. Methods: Electronic searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PSYCINFO, CINAHL, the British Nursing Library and the Cochrane Library were conducted These searches were supplemented by hand-searching bibliographies, citation tracing eligible studies and asking experts within the field about relevant studies. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they: a) used a standardised measure of anxiety, b) used prospective cohort design, c) included adult patients diagnosed with coronary heart disease (CHD), asthma, diabetes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), d) assessed urgent healthcare use prospectively. Data regarding participants, methodology, and association between anxiety and urgent care use was extracted from studies eligible for inclusion. Odds ratios were calculated for each study and pooled using random effects models. Results: 8 independent studies were identified for inclusion in the meta-analysis, with a total of 28,823 individual patients. Pooled effects indicate that anxiety is not associated with an increase in the use of urgent care (OR. =. 1.078, p. =. 0.476), regardless of the type of service, or type of medical condition. Conclusions: Anxiety is not associated with increased use of urgent care. This finding is in contrast to similar studies which have investigated the role of depression as a risk factor for use of urgent care

UK bioenergy innovation priorities: Making expectations credible in state-industry arenas

AbstractThe UK government has promoted bioenergy for several policy aims. Future expectations for bioenergy innovation encompass various pathways and their potential benefits. Some pathways have been relatively favoured by specific state-industry arrangements, which serve as ‘arenas of expectations’. Through these arrangements, some expectations have been made more credible, thus justifying and directing resource allocation. Conversely, to incentivise private-sector investment, government has sought credibility for its commitment to bioenergy innovation. These dual efforts illustrate the reciprocal character of promise-requirement cycles, whereby promises are turned into requirements for state sponsors as well as for innovators.Collective expectations have been shaped by close exchanges between state bodies, industry and experts. As promoters build collective expectations, their credibility has been linked with UK economic and environmental aims. When encountering technical difficulties or delays in earlier expectations, pathways and their benefits have been broadened, especially through new arenas—as grounds to allocate considerable state investment. Thus the concept ‘arenas of expectations’ helps to explain how some pathways gain favour as innovation priorities

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