Energy Performance of homes using Modern Methods of Construction.

Currie, John; Bros Williamson, Julio; Stinson, Jon

Abstract

The Housing Innovation Showcase (HIS), developed by Kingdom Housing Association (KHA) comprised of twenty seven dwellings of varying size and form, using ten different Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) techniques; twelve flats with communal gardens, and eleven terraced houses and four bungalows, all with private gardens.
The evaluation of the HIS properties was split into two phases comprising two distinct parts; the first phase, part one, formed a pre- and post-handover early occupation Building Performance Evaluation (Jack, Currie, Bros-Williamson, et al. 2013).This report, which forms the second part of phase 1, focuses on an initial 12 months of occupation following handover, comparing actual energy consumption against predicted energy consumption This analysis was performed by logging consumption data using an In-home Energy Display Monitor (IEDM) correlated by meter readings; which permitted a direct comparison with predicted consumption.
The report analyses energy use derived from a combination of heat and electricity consumption and comparing it with typical household figures and average regional figures whilst observing total carbon and cost comparisons across the development.
Despite the best efforts from KHA and stakeholders in designing and building quality homes to meet specific targets, the results of energy for space and water heating consumption were substantially higher than the predicted. This gap in performance ranged from properties being 5% to 350% higher than design values. This gap in energy consumption also produced disparities in total dwelling heating costs with a £175 increase between the mean predicted and the mean delivered. In comparison, the HIS development was £254 below the typical Scottish mean expenditure (£537/yr).
This performance gap is a result of: construction type discrepancies, for example some ground floor concrete slabs not being level creating problems in the timber frame erection, varying occupant comfort and behaviour patterns; creating different heating patterns thus consuming unusual amounts of energy, and the result of using different building services where controls weren’t adequately operated, deemed to be complicated or not operating as expected.
The study will continue into the next monitoring phase; focussing on testing a smaller representative sample of dwellings which includes a long term analysis of energy consumption, re-evaluating the properties thermal envelope and monitoring the correlation between indoor air quality (IAQ) and dwelling ventilation systems. It is hoped that such results can deliver a greater understanding of environmental performance; going beyond the work of most other studies to-date.

Citation

Currie, J., Bros Williamson, J., & Stinson, J. (2015). Energy Performance of homes using Modern Methods of Construction. Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh Napier Univeristy

• Report Type: Project Report
• Publication Date: 2015
• Deposit Date: Sep 16, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 31, 2015
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: Energy performance; modern construction; Housing Innovation Showcase; HIS; In-home Energy Display Monitor (IEDM)
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/9115
• Contract Date: Sep 16, 2015