A new ‘Energy House 2.0″ has opened on Salford University’s Peel Park campus, established for environmental research.
The building, the 2nd of its type on Salford University’s Peel Park campus, consists of two environmental chambers opens as the region’s Mayor Andy Burnham has pledged £60 billion investment on retrofit technology to cut the region’s independence on gas.
It comes at a cost of £16 million, half of which came from the European regional development fund, and will house two environmental chambers that will be able to simulate weather conditions such as wind, rain, snow, and solar radiation, between -20 and +40 degrees Celsius.
Currently, in the UK, buildings account for 40% of the carbon footprint, and to achieve net-zero, new buildings will need a complete design change.
Nigel Blandford, a research assistant at energy house 2 said:” we can stimulate various climatic conditions, so we’ve had plus 40 with 95% humidity, which is like Singapore
“So, it’s not just about how houses can heat up but also how we can keep them cool as well, which is maybe something that due to climate change we may have to contend with”
The first experiment will start in July and will last approximately one year. The facility which is on the University of Salford’s Fredrick Campus is purely for research and won’t be used as a teaching facility.
The funding is being supported by the European Regional Development Fund and the office for students.
The house, which was completed in February, is the largest research facility of its type.
The house comes after the success of, the first energy house opened in 2012, which has a single environmental chamber.
The walls between the chamber are 1.3 metres thick to keep the heat and cold temperatures within the chamber.
Companies wishing to use the chambers for testing and research can access the facility for free.
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