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Back to the future, via the Thirties
Left: Nottingham's "new" 1930s house.
Right: Researchers, Changhong Zhan and wife Baowei Liu.
Photos by Nottingham University.
THE house pictured right may look old but in fact the 1930s-style, typically English “semi” has only just been built.
Inside it bristles with more than 100 sensors to monitor temperature, humidity and energy use as researchers seek to discover the most efficient ways to adapt such houses to climate change.
Before the house was built, Britain’s Nottingham University had to obtain special planning permission to ignore 80 year’s of improved building standards so that it could be constructed with single glazing, no insulation, open fires and no hot water.
But as researchers explained to Nottingham Council, the house had to be built that way so they could identify the most cost efficient method of turning it into a “zero carbon home”. Today Britain still has around three million “semis” in use and together their energy inefficiency is one of the main reasons that almost a third of the country’s CO2 emissions comes from housing.
The University hopes its research results will guide future refurbishments.* Meanwhile researcher Changhong Zhan and his wife Baowei Liu (pictured) have taken up residence to ensure the house receives “typical” use.
“In general it’s a bit uncomfortable living here,” says Mr Zhan. “We have no central heating, only electrical heaters and to prevent cold air coming into the room, we squeezed papers into gaps of windows and doors.” Recently the researchers tried pressurising the house to discover just how much warm air was being lost. But it proved impossible. As fast as the air was pumped in it escaped through all the gaps...
Meanwhile, the research team have just posted an animated film clip to show how the house might be given a low-carbon facelift.
