future of low carbon buildings
Whole Street Retrofit
There are about 6.6 million solid walled in the UK and will require retrofit at a rate of 180,000 a year if we are to achieve an 80% carbon reduction. This calls for a industrial scale of retrofit.
However, it is possible given what we have already learnt in retrofitting. For example, whole street 3D laser surveys like that used on the Whiscer's Retrofit could enable offsite fabrication of external insulation panels complete with rendering, windows and external detailing for a whole street and craned into position
There are about 6.6 million solid walled in the UK and will require retrofit at a rate of 180,000 a year if we are to achieve an 80% carbon reduction. This calls for a industrial scale of retrofit.
However, it is possible given what we have already learnt in retrofitting. For example, whole street 3D laser surveys like that used on the Whiscer's Retrofit could enable offsite fabrication of external insulation panels complete with rendering, windows and external detailing for a whole street and craned into position
Revisiting Cavity Wall Insulation
Cavity wall insulation is cheap, costing about £400 per 2 bed flat as opposed to the £10,000 plus for internal solid wall insulation.
However, cavity wall insulation only reaches 0.5 W/m2K, short of the 0.2 W/m2K in many low energy retrofit houses. To achieve this, additional insulation is needed. Alternatively, the existing insulation could be replaced with aerogel would achieve this.
Cavity wall insulation is cheap, costing about £400 per 2 bed flat as opposed to the £10,000 plus for internal solid wall insulation.
However, cavity wall insulation only reaches 0.5 W/m2K, short of the 0.2 W/m2K in many low energy retrofit houses. To achieve this, additional insulation is needed. Alternatively, the existing insulation could be replaced with aerogel would achieve this.
Advances in Insulation
Insulation performance has advanced greatly over the past few decades along with understanding of issues like interstitial condensation, cold bridging and moisture diffusion.
Materials, like mineral wool, using still air as the insulating gas achieve a thermal conductivity of about 0.038 W/mK, whilst those using pentane, like PIR are at 0.02 W/mK. Now aerogel achieves 0.014 W/mK, and vacuum insulating panels achieve 0.005 W/mK.
Insulation performance has advanced greatly over the past few decades along with understanding of issues like interstitial condensation, cold bridging and moisture diffusion.
Materials, like mineral wool, using still air as the insulating gas achieve a thermal conductivity of about 0.038 W/mK, whilst those using pentane, like PIR are at 0.02 W/mK. Now aerogel achieves 0.014 W/mK, and vacuum insulating panels achieve 0.005 W/mK.
Solar PV
Renewables have become common place rather than the "eco bling" they were a decade ago. For example, solar PV has fallen in price so that it will cost the same as electricity from the UK grid (grid parity) in a few years, and will then fall further in price. This means that decarbonised electricity will be a real possibility.
Renewables have become common place rather than the "eco bling" they were a decade ago. For example, solar PV has fallen in price so that it will cost the same as electricity from the UK grid (grid parity) in a few years, and will then fall further in price. This means that decarbonised electricity will be a real possibility.