Cutting domestic carbon emissions is essential to achieving net-zero by 2050. Current policy is to renovate existing buildings to energy performance certificate (EPC) band C. However, that does not measure carbon emissions so every building could achieve band C and still leave the sector far short of net-zero. Here’s why.
The Atamate building operating system (atBOS) can control a building’s services to mitigate overheating. As required by Part O of the UK building regulations, it can prioritise passive cooling by opening windows and dynamic shading but if necessary, it can operate mechanical ventilation and cooling as efficiently as possible.
The newly drafted Part O of the UK building regulations, mandating measures to mitigate domestic overheating, will come into force in June 2022. Some homes can comply through limiting window area and ensuring windows can be opened but some will need to undertake dynamic thermal modelling using the TM59 methodology.
Are solid fuel burners appropriate in a modern new build home? Can they be incorporated into an eco home without ruining it's green credentials?
Burning solid fuels like wood or briquettes is an attractive option for a living room but tends to generate particulate air pollution and over-produce heat. Here we discuss those drawbacks, solutions like automation and back boilers, and the regulatory requirements that inform the design of a given installation.
In this article we look at the impact of psi-values and why they matter. Psi-values are a measure of the heat loss of a junction between two fabric elements, eg floor and external wall. These junctions are called non-repeating thermal bridges.
Previous iterations of the UK Building Regulations have raised awareness of the importance of fabric u-values and air tightness, the incoming revision is set to sharpen the focus on the ‘non-repeating’ or ‘linear’ thermal bridges that occur at junctions between fabric elements. The easy option of using Accredited Construction Details (ACD) will disappear from SAP as a new version is introduced next summer. This will force developers to more strongly consider junctions when choosing their building fabric or to have the heat loss properties of their junctions evaluated by trained specialists in order to avoid having to assume worst-case default heat losses.
Standards for space heaters are governed by several European Union standards that remain in place in Britain including Regulation 2015/1188, often called Lot 20, which sets minimum standards for energy efficiency and emissions that all heaters powered by electricity, gas or oil must meet.
Our Senior Data Scientist, Dr Kat Kelly recently showed that rented flats using variable ventilation and direct electrical heating under Atamate smart control delivered better energy efficiency than predicted for heat pump-based systems. We argue that the data shows that automation has been under-valued in planned reforms to the UK building regulations.
The government's Future Homes consultation presents air-source heat pumps as a mass-market high-efficiency heating solution. However, field trial evidence shows that in well-insulated buildings, occupancy-controlled electrical heaters are more efficient. Heat pumps may have a role in existing homes but have not proved themselves as the best option.
The UK government has published a consultation document for its Future Homes policy, which is intended to update the building regulations covering energy efficiency (Part L) and ventilation (Part F) by 2025. Atamate welcomes the aim to cut the energy needs of British housing stock and particularly the preferred approach which prioritises carbon-saving technology, but our view is that the potential of smart building technology is not recognised.
The UK government is consulting on proposed updates to the UK building regulations on energy efficiency (Part L) and ventilation (Part F). Atamate welcomes more stringent standards that will cut energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. However, we’re concerned that the solutions proposed only consider a few of the available technologies, which doesn’t allow for the flexibility required to fit the best solution to an individual building.