erdf domestic retrofit and emerging research smart grid ... · (always, anyway, whatever!) •...

ERDF Domestic RetroFit and Smart Grid Innovation Project

Steven HarrisDirector

Steven Harris Ltd.

Image capture: May 2015 © 2015 Google

Emerging Research Summary and Recommendations

Steven Harris BscDipArch ARB RIBA

Director - Steven Harris Ltd.Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Consultancy

Principal - CRSH ArchitectsZero energy houses and domestic architecture

Technical and Policy Director - Energence Ltd. (The Energy Monitoring Platform)Smart metering, field trials and regulation compliance monitoring

Director - Abergavenny Energy CICA community energy company

Advisory Committee Member - Welsh GovernmentBuilding Regulations Advisory Committee for Wales

Previously I have been… Technical Lead at The Energy Saving Co-operativeHead of Low Carbon Technologies at the Energy Saving Trust Technical Director (and co founder) of ZEDfactorySenior Architect at Michael Hopkins and Partners

Other previous roles – Fellow of the Centre of Refurbishment Excellence, Expert peer reviewer - Retrofit for the future,Working group member - Zero Carbon Hub, Strategic Advisory Group member – Energy Technologies Institute, External advisor (Code for Sustainable Homes) - DCLG, External advisor (zero carbon stamp duty) – HMT, External advisor - GLA

Who am I?

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May 2018 Emerging Research

SHAP WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND •  What works in terms of technologies, monitoring and creating a more comfortable home

•  What has not worked and what the tenants did not like

•  Did bills reduce – if not, are the tenants more comfortable?

•  What works in practice (different technologies, different levels of occupant engagement, monitoring, levels of capital investment and consequential maintenance and call out costs)

•  How does the household demographic affect the technology outcomes?


The ERDF Retrofit and Smart Grid Project

Only when technologies and Retrofit measures are tried in the real world, with real people

living their everyday unique lifestyles, (and with full monitoring) can we tell what works, (and

what ‘works’ means).

Just before Christmas

Just after Christmas


technical - what was looked at and did it work

•  EWI, loft and air tightness – yes, does the heavy lifting…but beware of (very) bad detailing

•  Triple Glazing – yes, but for full benefit you must have no trickle vents so must have…

•  Heat exchange ventilation – YES…! (always, anyway, whatever!)

•  Hybrid heat pump gas boilers – No, not a solution for small retrofitted properties (<£2k gas)

•  Solar thermal ‘under wall heating’ – maybe, but needs further detailed monitoring

•  Solar PV with Electric batteries – yes, but not economically viable yet, but great potential

•  Solar PV with Heat batteries – interesting… (perhaps a DHW solution and funding source)

•  Solar PV with harvest share – almost, could be standard with further technical development

•  Energiesprong – yes, but can highlight existing problems

May 2018 Emerging Research Small mid terrace 1 – with under wall solar heating

May 2018 Emerging Research Small mid terrace 2

The Mystery RetroFit!

When was it undertaken?

May 2018 Emerging Research – Small mid terrace 2

Nieghbours had EWI

This property had EWI and Retrofit

May 2015

May 2018 Emerging Research Energiesprong Mid century mid terrace

They previously say they had to put £40 on the meter every week, whereas now they only have to put £20 on every few weeks, and even then, it still builds credit.

May 2018 Emerging Research Energiesprong Mid century mid terrace


SHAP will be running technical workshops in Autumn

2018 where this research and the technologies can

be discussed in detail and future opportunities

investigated.


technical Recommendations 1. Don’t forget the boring stuff

Retrofit for energy efficiency should become just be part of good building and maintenance

practice.

Retrofit outcome targets should be based on comprehensive quantitative and qualitative

standards. There is no point in a retrofit that is inexpensive to heat in the first year if it leaks

and falls apart in the second.


technical Recommendations 2. Ventilation – ventilation – ventilation.

If you do nothing else, put in heat exchange ventilation.


technical Recommendations 3. Domestic hot (tap) water is the next problem

We need further research on whether gas combi boilers are really the best way to create

domestic hot water. Some of our monitoring seems to be suggesting far more gas is being

consumed than heat created.

Further research required – Could this be linked to heat batteries?


technical Recommendations 4. Know what you are doing – you can’t manage what you don’t measure!

Any retrofit pilot using new technology must include metering and monitoring or the outcomes

will be unknown. There must also be budget for the analysis of the data or at the very least, an

automatic dashboard display of Home Heating Coefficient (MPG for homes).


procurement Recommendations 1. Avoid the race to the bottom – Become “The Intelligent Client”

Specifications and employers’ requirements should be as well considered, tight and

comprehensive as possible in order to level the tendering playing field between experienced

contractors and those who are yet to make (the same) mistakes.


procurement Recommendations 2. Someone must be in overall charge of design and specification (and it be their fault!)

The fundamental decisions about how to retrofit a property should be made by a professional

retrofit coordinator who should be completely technology and industry independent.

There must be someone responsible for making decisions about the overall ordinary

building details, and for them not to avoid liability by liquidating their company


procurement Recommendations 3. Avoid industry led solutions

The industry will always define ‘good’ as ‘good for the industry’. A builder (design and build contractor) will always define ‘good’ as good (easy) to build. A product company will always define good in the context of selling more of their products.

As a “Intelligent Client” – you decide what ‘good’ is


procurement Recommendations 4. Don’t try to fund retrofits from individual bill saving - there might not be any!

Some homes before Retrofit had very low bills – they were also cold and damp

After Retrofit they still have very low bills – however they are now warm and healthy

Other homes before Retrofit had very high bills – they were warm and (not normally) damp

These homes now have considerably lower bills.

To have the greatest benefit, Retrofit should be funded by averaging bill saving, not

individualising it as The Green Deal did.

4kWhrs a Day = 20p a day

!100kWhrs a Day = £5 a day

Pair 5

Same typeSame EPCSame occupancy


procurement Recommendations 5. Look sideways

Look out for funding opportunities from other sectors.

Aggregating the energy demand/storage/supply capacity of a housing portfolio might prove

very profitable in the future.

Pilot project anyone...?

Thank You

Steven HarrisDirector

Steven Harris Ltd.

[email protected]

01873 85 21 4707958 99 22 92

Image capture: May 2015 © 2015 Google

erdf domestic retrofit and emerging research smart grid ... · (always, anyway, whatever!) •...

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