BRE is set to play a pivotal role in the British Gas SmartHomes Project, which aims to reduce the energy requirements of domestic customers through the implementation of smart technologies and sustainable refurbishment solutions.
British Gas has signed an agreement with BRE to use a unit within its Victorian Terrace demonstration project as a knowledge hub and refurbishment showcase for the scheme. BRE's Integer House will also be used as a research facility for analysing occupier behaviour patterns with regards to energy consumption and how users interact with control systems and smart metering.
This work will tie in with other ongoing national field trial projects being undertaken by British Gas and partners. British Gas plans to to equip customers with smart technologies that help them understand their energy consumption and to consume less.
BRE will be working closely with British Gas to provide an environment for trialling and assessing systems being proposed for use in the field trials and ultimately in customers’ homes. This research will facilitate the installation and use of control systems and refurbishment techniques as well as providing valuable user feedback.
The Victorian Terrace knowledge hub will act as the focal point for the project. A dedicated 'operations room' will be constructed on the ground floor and refurbished to a high level of thermal efficiency by British Gas' supply chain.
It will showcase the products and techniques in British Gas' current product portfolio including internal and external insulation solutions, smart metering, provision of electric vehicle charging points and solar PV. There will also be a data display for visitors showing live energy projects running onsite and throughout the country.
The Integer House will provide a test-bed, where the hardware and the control systems can be fitted, assessed, trialled and demonstrated. Data and knowledge gathered from this research will be connected via wireless telemetry to the Victorian Terrace knowledge hub which will enable visitors to gain an insight into the project outputs and associated field trials without the need to leave the site.
BRE plans to work with the National Refurbishment Centre and its partners to provide single occupancy candidates for the Integer House over a period of two years, starting in July 2011. Candidates will provide live-in data and occupier feedback on the building and controls performance.
Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has announced that £35 million has been set aside for innovations that will help towards reducing carbon emissions in homes and businesses.
The Minister revealed details of how £200 million of funding - made available in the November 2010 Spending Review - will be used to make the country more energy efficient.
Around £60 million will be put towards the development of offshore wind manufacturing at port sites, in addition to supporting innovation in low carbon technologies and other systems.
Furthermore, £30 million will be invested in reducing the costs of off-shore wind plants and £20 million put into support marine energy.
He made the announcement as part of a wider range of policy measures that include giving more powers to energy regulator Ofgem as consumers look to switch between cheaper supplier tariffs.
A host of organisations gathered to officially open a new £40 million development of student accommodation in Birmingham. Cosmopolitan Student Homes and Iliad Group have jointly developed the 656 bed project near Birmingham City University.
Guests were given a tour of the building which included one of the new student 'clusters' at high level. A total of 119 clusters are provided across three blocks, which are centred around a main internal landscaped courtyard. Each cluster consists of a mixture of four, five and six ensuite bedrooms, with their own communal kitchen and living areas.
The building benefits from a local district energy system by Cofely District Energy. This enables hot water to be provided for the building as a by-product from electricity generated by Birmingham's International Convention Centre. This, combined with better than Building Regulation insulation, provides a highly energy efficient student accommodation facility with low running costs and a low carbon footprint.
Liverpool-based Cosmopolitan Student Homes has been providing student housing since 1969 and currently manages some 3,700 units of accommodation in Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Salford, Bradford and Stratford-upon-Avon. It is part of the not-for-profit Cosmopolitan Housing Group, which re-invests any surpluses generated into its mainstream social housing provision.
