As part of the "Homes Behaving Badly" project, 4 local homes received air tightness testing. The results from these 4 case studies can be found in the HOBBS Report.
Two further case studies were tested by Midland Energy Services just last week, and the results are in!
The 1930's solid wall detached house (see HOBBS report) has undergone significant improvements to reduce energy use, and has achieved an air tightness figure of 7.44 m3/hr/m2 at 50 Pascals.
This is a respectable figure, given that the average new build must now achieve less than 10 m3/hr/m2 at 50 Pascals and most 1930's houses would be far more leaky than that! However, the owners have made a note of the locations where the test revealed draughts, and will be addressing those to improve the air tightness further.
The other case study to undergo an air tightness test last week was the 1950's solid wall detached house. This house is being refurbished to become an ultra-low energy home (to passivhaus refurbishment standard). It will receive a number of air tightness tests during the works, this being the first (preliminary) test with a result of 4.4 m3/hr/m2 at 50 Pascals.
Following this test, the real air tightness work begins, including plastering of the walls and installation of air tightness tapes and membranes around windows, in the attic etc. This internal layer of air tightness will be the key factor in determining the eventual air tightness of this particular house. For this Passive House refurbishment, a figure of less than 1 m3/hr/m2 at 50 Pascals is required (quite a challenge!)
It should be said - while the fabric of this 1950's house is being made extremely air tight, this does not mean that there won't be good ventilation. A ventilation system (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery, or MVHR) will be installed to deliver a constant supply of fresh air to the house, and extract stale air from kitchen and bathrooms continuously. Heat from the stale air will be transferred to the incoming fresh air via a highly efficient heat recovery unit. This kind of system becomes energy efficient in houses with an air tightness of ~3 m3/hr/m2 at 50 Pascals or lower.
Showing posts with label Hobbs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hobbs. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Saturday, March 31, 2012
The HOBBS reports go live
As the Homes Behaving Badly project comes to an end, the suite of reports created as part of this project are now publicly available.
Click here to download the HOBBS Reports
(If you spot any errors, do tell us. We have found one so far.)
Sections 2 to 5 are specifically for householders, providing an introduction to energy efficiency in the home - from the free and low cost options to the medium and high cost options.
With separate sections devoted to houses of cavity wall construction, houses of solid wall construction and rooms in the roof, there should be something useful here for a wide range of householders.
The case studies in Section 2 demonstrate the big savings that can be made through energy-saving habits and run-of-the-mill improvements to our homes.
For those who are interested, the case studies also illustrate what else can be done to turn an ordinary house into a low-energy home and how much effort and money might be required.
An overview of local housing stock and a summary of the HOBBS project as a whole can be found in Sections 6 and 7 of the HOBBS report.
We hope you find them useful!
Click here for Homes Behaving Badly final press release
Click here to download the HOBBS Reports
(If you spot any errors, do tell us. We have found one so far.)
Sections 2 to 5 are specifically for householders, providing an introduction to energy efficiency in the home - from the free and low cost options to the medium and high cost options.
With separate sections devoted to houses of cavity wall construction, houses of solid wall construction and rooms in the roof, there should be something useful here for a wide range of householders.
The case studies in Section 2 demonstrate the big savings that can be made through energy-saving habits and run-of-the-mill improvements to our homes.
For those who are interested, the case studies also illustrate what else can be done to turn an ordinary house into a low-energy home and how much effort and money might be required.
An overview of local housing stock and a summary of the HOBBS project as a whole can be found in Sections 6 and 7 of the HOBBS report.
We hope you find them useful!
Click here for Homes Behaving Badly final press release
Monday, March 26, 2012
HOBBS project draws to a close
The final event of the 'Homes Behaving Badly' series took place on Saturday 24th March when 36 people visited the site of an ultra-low energy refurbishment to see progress to date. So far, the roof is weather-tight and the external insulation has begun, but there's a bit of work to do on the extension still.
This open day was also part of Superhomes week - when all over the UK, Superhomes which have cut energy use and carbon emissions by at least 60% open their doors to visitors.
Tina and Richard talked about the house from the home-owner perspective, and Gil Schalom (the architect) and Sean (from Westville) shared their technical knowledge and experience.
Earlier in the week, another local Superhome in Radcliffe on Trent (also a HOBBS project case study) opened its doors to visitors. It was a friendly and informative visit according to those who took part, showing solid wall insulation and other low energy solutions.
While the HOBBS open days and the workshops held earlier in March are now complete, this project will also have a lasting legacy in the form of the HOBBS reports. Detailed energy information was collected from 8 local houses to form a set of case studies showing what each house was like when the current occupants moved in, what efficiency improvements have been made so far, and what further work is intended. The impact on the energy bills for each house is included.
These reports and a film of the 1950's ultra-low energy refurbishment in progress will be posted here in the next week.
This open day was also part of Superhomes week - when all over the UK, Superhomes which have cut energy use and carbon emissions by at least 60% open their doors to visitors.
Tina and Richard talked about the house from the home-owner perspective, and Gil Schalom (the architect) and Sean (from Westville) shared their technical knowledge and experience.
Earlier in the week, another local Superhome in Radcliffe on Trent (also a HOBBS project case study) opened its doors to visitors. It was a friendly and informative visit according to those who took part, showing solid wall insulation and other low energy solutions.
While the HOBBS open days and the workshops held earlier in March are now complete, this project will also have a lasting legacy in the form of the HOBBS reports. Detailed energy information was collected from 8 local houses to form a set of case studies showing what each house was like when the current occupants moved in, what efficiency improvements have been made so far, and what further work is intended. The impact on the energy bills for each house is included.
These reports and a film of the 1950's ultra-low energy refurbishment in progress will be posted here in the next week.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
HOBBS open house visit 24th March
Nottingham: Harrow Road
House Summary
Owner(s): Tina Holt and Richard Middup
House Type: 3 bed 1952 detached
Carbon saving: Predicted saving: 80%
Measures installed:
PLANNED MEASURES:
Planned PassivHaus renovation
180mm Phenolic board external insulation to all walls
Passivhaus certified triple glazing throughout
Loft insulation, uValue: 0.13W/(m2K)
300mm EPS floor insulation, uValue: 0.13W/(m2K)
Extensive air tightness work, ≤ 1.0 m3/h.m2 at 50 Pa
Whole house mechanical ventilation heat recovery system to be installed
Photo voltaic panels to be installed on south facing roof
Low energy lighting throughout
Low energy appliances throughout
Water saving devices to include; Low flush loo, low flow taps and shower.
Water butts for garden use.
Other energy efficiency implements to include; designed to include draught-lobbies: porch on front door, utility room for back door.
If you would like to book a place click here:
Visit to Tina and Richard's open house on Saturday 24th March
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
The first two Homes Behaving Badly workshops on Saturday 3rd March 2012 attracted an audience of home owners looking to make energy efficiency improvements to their own homes.
Tina Holt, Penney Poyzer and Gil Schalom ran the workshops, which started with the free ways to save energy. The audience were already saving a packet between them, with a host of money-saving tips like "using the hot tap with the shortest pipe run" or "only using hot water when really necessary".
For those who were looking to make free or very low cost improvements, Julie "Queen of Mean" told her story - and entertained the group with her humorous promotion of the low-tech solutions.
Great low cost options were discussed - bubble-wrap over north facing windows that are obscured anyway, plastic film over window panes (fix it on with double-sided tape and a hair-dryer), or the power of the humble curtain - with thermal lining or an older curtain behind for extra insulation.
Gil Schalom, green architect, gave information of a more technical nature, as the audience asked specific questions about their own homes and the issues they want to tackle.
Rushcliffe Borough Council's Energy Officer provided a stand and gave out information during the tea breaks, and Michael and Mo brought samples from their low energy refurbishment project and shared their experiences. At the same time, a short film of an ultra-insulated loft conversion (one of the case studies) ran in the background.
One person noted on the feedback form: "I thought I had a pretty good energy efficient house. Now I know there's a lot more I can do!"
The next 2 workshops on 10th March will focus on whole house retrofit (generally a higher cost option!) and on low and high cost ways to make attic rooms and loft conversions more energy efficient.
To book your place on a workshop or to visit the 3 Nottingham homes which will open their doors this March during SuperHomes Week, contact sarah.goodman.ehg@gmail.com.
To see details of these open SuperHomes, just search for Nottingham on the SuperHomes "Open Homes Events" list.
Tina Holt, Penney Poyzer and Gil Schalom ran the workshops, which started with the free ways to save energy. The audience were already saving a packet between them, with a host of money-saving tips like "using the hot tap with the shortest pipe run" or "only using hot water when really necessary".
For those who were looking to make free or very low cost improvements, Julie "Queen of Mean" told her story - and entertained the group with her humorous promotion of the low-tech solutions.
Great low cost options were discussed - bubble-wrap over north facing windows that are obscured anyway, plastic film over window panes (fix it on with double-sided tape and a hair-dryer), or the power of the humble curtain - with thermal lining or an older curtain behind for extra insulation.
Gil Schalom, green architect, gave information of a more technical nature, as the audience asked specific questions about their own homes and the issues they want to tackle.
Rushcliffe Borough Council's Energy Officer provided a stand and gave out information during the tea breaks, and Michael and Mo brought samples from their low energy refurbishment project and shared their experiences. At the same time, a short film of an ultra-insulated loft conversion (one of the case studies) ran in the background.
One person noted on the feedback form: "I thought I had a pretty good energy efficient house. Now I know there's a lot more I can do!"
The next 2 workshops on 10th March will focus on whole house retrofit (generally a higher cost option!) and on low and high cost ways to make attic rooms and loft conversions more energy efficient.
To book your place on a workshop or to visit the 3 Nottingham homes which will open their doors this March during SuperHomes Week, contact sarah.goodman.ehg@gmail.com.
To see details of these open SuperHomes, just search for Nottingham on the SuperHomes "Open Homes Events" list.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Homes Behaving Badly workshops
These free workshops (one devoted to cavity wall houses, two to solid wall houses and one to rooms in the roof) are a fantastic chance to get some really good information about all the ways you could improve comfort or reduce the energy bills in your home. (see full details in recent posts)
The workshops will be based around 8 examples of typical house types in West Bridgford, each example having undergone improvements small or large. Some of the home owners will be there to talk and answer questions about their energy saving experiences.
If you live in a house of solid (not cavity) wall construction and are not sure which solid wall workshop is for you - the first covers free and lower cost options and the second covers higher cost options and whole house retrofit. Why not come to both?
The Homes Behaving Badly workshops will be held at Edwalton Primary School, Wellin Lane, Edwalton, Nottingham NG12 4AS.
Click on the link for a map and details of the no 6 bus stops near Edwalton Primary School.
Although you can turn up on the day, it would really help us to anticipate numbers if you book your place by contacting Sarah on 07772 330779 or by email: sarah.goodman.ehg@gmail.com
3 March 9.30-12.30 - Cavity wall workshop
3 March 1.30-4.30pm - Solid wall workshop (lower cost options)
10 March 9.30-12.30 - Solid wall workshop (higher cost options)
10 March 1.30-4.30pm - Rooms in the roof - improving attics and loft conversions new and old
The workshops will be based around 8 examples of typical house types in West Bridgford, each example having undergone improvements small or large. Some of the home owners will be there to talk and answer questions about their energy saving experiences.
If you live in a house of solid (not cavity) wall construction and are not sure which solid wall workshop is for you - the first covers free and lower cost options and the second covers higher cost options and whole house retrofit. Why not come to both?
The Homes Behaving Badly workshops will be held at Edwalton Primary School, Wellin Lane, Edwalton, Nottingham NG12 4AS.
Click on the link for a map and details of the no 6 bus stops near Edwalton Primary School.
Although you can turn up on the day, it would really help us to anticipate numbers if you book your place by contacting Sarah on 07772 330779 or by email: sarah.goodman.ehg@gmail.com
3 March 9.30-12.30 - Cavity wall workshop
3 March 1.30-4.30pm - Solid wall workshop (lower cost options)
10 March 9.30-12.30 - Solid wall workshop (higher cost options)
10 March 1.30-4.30pm - Rooms in the roof - improving attics and loft conversions new and old
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Homes Behaving Badly - which workshop is for you?
As part of the Homes Behaving Badly project, there will be 4 free workshops for householders (details in previous posts and this press release).
But which workshop (or workshops) would be relevant to you?
The first workshop is for people living in cavity wall homes. It does not matter whether your cavity walls are already insulated or not - we'll cover both. There are plenty of ways to reduce the energy bills or deal with issues such as cold, condensation and mould. Some options are completely free, others are basic DIY tasks, and others have a medium or large price tag.
If you want to talk to someone who has trimmed their bills right down (in a perfectly ordinary cavity wall house, on a very ordinary budget), this is the workshop for you. Maybe your home is already pretty good but you are thinking about renewables, come along and find out whether it's worth it. Maybe you've heard about the Green Deal - the government's finance scheme for efficiency improvements, due to be launched in autumn 2012. We'll have the latest update on that as well.
(If you don't know whether your home has a cavity between the two skins of brick that make up the wall, step outside and look at the brickwork. If all the bricks are lengthways on (i.e. no end-on bricks in the pattern), and this pattern continues all the way up the wall, then your house is likely to have a cavity, which may or may not be filled with insulation already.)
The second and third workshops are for people living in solid wall homes. The workshops will cover similar topics, but on the 3rd March, the focus will be on lower cost and DIY improvements, while on 10th March we will go into more detail on the higher cost options that can result in bigger changes in energy use and comfort.
Maybe you've heard about the Green Deal - the government's finance scheme due to be launched in autumn 2012. Will the Green Deal and the related "ECO" scheme help towards the costs of improving solid wall homes? We'll have the latest update on that as well.
(If you think your home may have solid walls (rather than cavity walls), look at the external brickwork for end-on bricks. These end-on bricks go right through the wall and indicate that the 2 skins of brick forming the wall have no gap between them.)
In these three workshops, we will use energy modelling (SAP) to show how houses of different types and ages can be made more energy efficient in different ways. And we'll use real case studies to show what the reality of different options can be like. Some of the home owners whose houses form the case studies will be at the workshop to talk about their homes and their experiences.
The final workshop will focus on saving energy in loft conversions, attic rooms, and any other locations where there is a combination of roofs and walls. Whether you are considering a new loft conversion, or trying to improve one that was built some years ago and needs upgrading in some way, this workshop will consider the products and methods that work best in different situations. Again, we'll look at DIY and higher cost options, the pitfalls and the top tips.
Booking is recommended so book your place with Sarah Goodman
07772 330779 or by email sarah.goodman.ehg@gmail.com
But which workshop (or workshops) would be relevant to you?
The first workshop is for people living in cavity wall homes. It does not matter whether your cavity walls are already insulated or not - we'll cover both. There are plenty of ways to reduce the energy bills or deal with issues such as cold, condensation and mould. Some options are completely free, others are basic DIY tasks, and others have a medium or large price tag.
If you want to talk to someone who has trimmed their bills right down (in a perfectly ordinary cavity wall house, on a very ordinary budget), this is the workshop for you. Maybe your home is already pretty good but you are thinking about renewables, come along and find out whether it's worth it. Maybe you've heard about the Green Deal - the government's finance scheme for efficiency improvements, due to be launched in autumn 2012. We'll have the latest update on that as well.
(If you don't know whether your home has a cavity between the two skins of brick that make up the wall, step outside and look at the brickwork. If all the bricks are lengthways on (i.e. no end-on bricks in the pattern), and this pattern continues all the way up the wall, then your house is likely to have a cavity, which may or may not be filled with insulation already.)
The second and third workshops are for people living in solid wall homes. The workshops will cover similar topics, but on the 3rd March, the focus will be on lower cost and DIY improvements, while on 10th March we will go into more detail on the higher cost options that can result in bigger changes in energy use and comfort.
Maybe you've heard about the Green Deal - the government's finance scheme due to be launched in autumn 2012. Will the Green Deal and the related "ECO" scheme help towards the costs of improving solid wall homes? We'll have the latest update on that as well.
(If you think your home may have solid walls (rather than cavity walls), look at the external brickwork for end-on bricks. These end-on bricks go right through the wall and indicate that the 2 skins of brick forming the wall have no gap between them.)
In these three workshops, we will use energy modelling (SAP) to show how houses of different types and ages can be made more energy efficient in different ways. And we'll use real case studies to show what the reality of different options can be like. Some of the home owners whose houses form the case studies will be at the workshop to talk about their homes and their experiences.
The final workshop will focus on saving energy in loft conversions, attic rooms, and any other locations where there is a combination of roofs and walls. Whether you are considering a new loft conversion, or trying to improve one that was built some years ago and needs upgrading in some way, this workshop will consider the products and methods that work best in different situations. Again, we'll look at DIY and higher cost options, the pitfalls and the top tips.
Booking is recommended so book your place with Sarah Goodman
07772 330779 or by email sarah.goodman.ehg@gmail.com
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Homes Behaving Badly - workshops
The dates are now set for the Homes Behaving Badly workshops:
3rd March 2012 - 9.30am to 12.30pm:
Saving energy in homes of cavity wall construction
3rd March 2012 - 1.30pm to 4.30pm:
Saving energy in solid wall homes (with emphasis on the lower cost options)
10th March 2012 - 9.30am to 12.30pm:
Saving energy in solid wall homes (with emphasis on the higher cost options)
10th March 2012 - 1.30pm to 4.30pm:
Saving energy in loft conversions and attic rooms
18th March am and pm Eco House Tour (Nottingham Ecohome)
25th March am and pm Eco House under Construction Tour (1950's refurb)
Each workshop will focus on real life examples of homes that have undergone small and large energy-saving improvements. By comparing the actual energy use of these homes we will show what is possible in reality, not just in theory!
In each workshop, we will also demonstrate just how much energy can be saved without spending any money at all - just with energy saving habits. And we'll talk about how to become your own energy expert, so that you can suss out the best energy-saving options for your house and the way you use it. (One size does not fit all!)
And finally, the workshops will introduce the Green Deal - the government's new scheme to help finance home energy improvements from autumn 2012. Find out how it works to make sure you get the right deal for you and your home!
To book your free place on the workshops or the tours:
email sarah.goodman.ehg@gmail.com
tel. 07772 330779
This is a Transition West Bridgford project, made possible with LEAF funding. The Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF) is managed by the Energy Saving Trust on behalf of the Department for Energy and Climate Change. The project is also supported by the Sustainable Growth Group, supplying 250 state-of-the-art low energy LED lightbulbs for householders taking part in the project.
Monday, February 06, 2012
Homes Behaving Badly!
Our new project, Homes Behaving Badly (HOBBs), is now under-way.
For all the details, do have a look at the press release. (we are very proud of it!)
We are busy preparing for the free HOBBs events in March, and to make that as relevant as possible for people who are considering home energy improvements, we have created a questionnaire.
If you would like to tell us a bit about your house and your home energy priorities, click here to take part in the questionnaire. (It is entirely up to you whether you provide your name or contact details, or complete it anonymously.)
If your home is not a paragon of energy-efficiency and comfort, the HOBBs project could be right up your street!
Tina and the HOBBs team
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